cuticle
noun/ˈkjuːtɪkəl/
Etymology Learned borrowing from Latin cutīcula (“cuticle, skin”). Doublet of cuticula.
› The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates.
1
The strip of hardened skin at the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail.
- By that time she has pushed back his cuticles, cleaned his nails and painted them with clear polish.1992, Toni Morrison, Jazz, Vintage (2016), page 38:
2
Dead or cornified epidermis.
3
Biology, Natural sciences, Zoology A noncellular protective covering outside the epidermis of many invertebrates.
- Holonym: exoskeleton
5
A thin skin formed on the surface of a liquid.
6
A protective layer on the shell of a bird's egg.
- Synonyms
- cuticula
- Derived terms
- cuticleless, cuticle pusher, cuticular, cutis, endocuticle, epicuticle, exocuticle, mesocuticle, procuticle, subcuticle
- Related terms
- cutaneo-, cutaneous, noncutaneous, noncuticular, nail, thumbnail, toenail, quick