cuticle

CEFRB1

/ˈkjuːtɪkəl/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The thin skin at the base of a fingernail or toenail.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Dead or cornified epidermis.

Examples

  • Desert plants coat themselves in a thick, waxy cuticle to keep in water.

  • By that time she has pushed back his cuticles, cleaned his nails and painted them with clear polish.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The strip of hardened skin at the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail.

  2. The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates; the epidermis.

  3. A noncellular protective covering outside the epidermis of many invertebrates and plants.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She pushed back her blank before applying nail polish.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Learned borrowing from Latin cutīcula (“cuticle, skin”). Doublet of cuticula.