manicure
Americannoun
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a cosmetic treatment of the hands and fingernails, including trimming and polishing of the nails and removing cuticles.
-
a manicurist.
verb (used with object)
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to take care of (the hands and fingernails); apply manicure treatment to.
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to trim or cut meticulously.
to manicure a lawn.
verb (used without object)
noun
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care of the hands and fingernails, involving shaping the nails, removing cuticles, etc
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another word for manicurist
verb
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to care for (the hands and fingernails) in this way
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(tr) to trim neatly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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manicuresimple
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manicuressimple
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have manicuredperfect
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has manicuredperfect
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am manicuringprogressive
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are manicuringprogressive
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is manicuringprogressive
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have been manicuringperfect progressive
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has been manicuringperfect progressive
Past
-
manicuredsimple
-
had manicuredperfect
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was manicuringprogressive
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were manicuringprogressive
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had been manicuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of manicure
1875–80; < French < Latin mani- (combining form of manus hand) + cūra care
Explanation
When you get a manicure, your fingernails get filed and shaped and possibly painted red. You might get a manicure at a spa or salon as a way to pamper yourself. You can pay a professional to give you a manicure, or you can do a manicure at home with a nail file and a bottle of nail polish. Some people get manicures for fun and relaxation, while others don't feel well dressed without the perfect nails that a manicure provides. In French the word manicure means "care of the hands," and it comes from the Latin word for "hand," manus.
Vocabulary lists containing manicure
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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The Book of Unknown Americans
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English Words Derived from French, List 7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There’s British Tina, Pageboy Tina, French Manicure Tina, Tina with the scorpion tattoo, even the Anti-Tina, a bit of fun tucked among Park’s coded riddles.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025
According to Nails: The History of the Modern Manicure, archaeologists unearthed a solid gold manicure set in southern Babylonia, dating to 3,200 BC, that was apparently part of combat equipment.
From The Guardian • Jan. 27, 2021
Manicure salons all over America probably enjoy a booming business around this time every year, because it’s nail-biting time for parents of high school students awaiting acceptance letters from college admissions departments.
From Salon • Mar. 16, 2019
They could get a Manicure from a Mrs. Rosella Wood, who was also available for Massages.
From The New Yorker • May 30, 2016
Manicure, man′i-kūr, n. the care of hands and nails: one who practises this.—v.t. to treat the hands and nails.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
