Fingernail

//ˈfɪŋɡɚˌneɪl// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The hard, flat translucent covering near the tip of a human finger, useful for scratching and fine manipulation.
  2. 2
    the nail at the end of a finger wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
handnail

Example

More examples

"I always keep a set of fingernail clippers in my guitar case."

Etymology

From Middle English finger neil(e); equivalent to finger + nail. Compare Middle English nayl of fynger (“fingernail”) and Old English handnæġl (“fingernail”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Fingernail (“fingernail”), West Frisian fingerneil (“fingernail”), Dutch vingernagel (“fingernail”), German Fingernagel (“fingernail”), Danish fingernegl (“fingernail”), Swedish fingernagel (“fingernail”), Norwegian fingernegl (“fingernail”), Icelandic fingurnögl (“fingernail”).

Related phrases

fingernail clamfingernail moonlittle fingernailring fingernailnail polishnail varnish

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.