hangnail

American  

[hang-neyl] / ˈhæŋˌneɪl /

noun

1. a small piece of partly detached skin at the side or base of the fingernail.

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hangnail British  

/ ˈhæŋˌneɪl /

noun

1. a piece of skin torn away from, but still attached to, the base or side of a fingernail

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Usage

What is a hangnail? A hangnail is a small piece of skin that’s hanging off near the side or base of the fingernail. Despite the name, a hangnail isn’t part of the fingernail itself. When someone says they’ve broken a nail, they mean that part of their fingernail has broken off. A hangnail, though, is a piece of skin that has become detached from the cuticle or skin around the nail. Hangnails are known for hurting more than you’d expect them to, based on their size. For that reason, the word is sometimes used in negative comparisons to indicate that something is unpleasant, irritating, or painful, but not very serious, as in This job is about as much fun as a hangnail, but it shouldn’t take too long. The word is also sometimes used as an example of the most minor kind of injury, as in He would call out sick if he got a hangnail, so there’s no way he’s coming in if he has the flu. Example: Don’t pick at your hangnail—it will be red and sore if you peel it off!

Etymology

Origin of hangnail

1300–50; Middle English angenayle corn, Old English angnægl, equivalent to ang- (variant of enge narrow, painful; cognate with German eng, see anger) + nægl callus, nail; modern h- by association with hang