Nidus is a noun that refers to a place or situation in which something develops or is fostered.

Our word of the day comes directly from Latin where it means ‘nest.’ In the late 17th century, nidus nested itself in the English language and is today often used in medicine to refer to a place in which bacteria have multiplied. But it’s also used simply to refer to a place of development.

My old neighborhood was a nidus for various creative artists. All kinds of writers, photographers, actors and musicians developed their skill there.