cuticle

American  

[kyoo-ti-kuhl] / ˈkju tɪ kəl /

noun

• cuticles
  plural

1. the nonliving epidermis that surrounds the edges of the fingernail or toenail.

2. the epidermis.

3. a superficial integument, membrane, or the like.

4. Also called cuticula. Zoology. the outer, noncellular layer of the arthropod integument, composed of a mixture of chitin and protein and commonly containing other hardening substances as well.

5. Botany. a very thin hyaline film covering the surface of plants, derived from the outer surfaces of the epidermal cells.

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cuticle British  

/ ˈkjuːtɪkəl /

noun

1. dead skin, esp that round the base of a fingernail or toenail

2. another name for epidermis

3. any covering layer or membrane

4. the protective layer, containing cutin, that covers the epidermis of higher plants

5. the hard protective layer covering the epidermis of many invertebrates

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cuticle Scientific  

/ kyo̅o̅′tĭ-kəl /

1. The noncellular, hardened or membranous protective covering of many invertebrates, such as the transparent membrane that covers annelids.

2. A layer of wax and cutin that covers the outermost surfaces of a plant. The cuticle is secreted by the epidermis and helps prevent water loss and infection by parasites.

3. The hard skin around the sides and base of a fingernail or toenail.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cuticular
  adjective
• subcuticular
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cuticles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cuticle

1605–15; < Latin cutīcula the skin, equivalent to cuti ( s ) skin, cutis + -cula -cle ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cuticle cuticles

Since leaves are costly in materials and energy, plants sculpt them to withstand wind and coat them with a waxy cuticle to repel water.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

"You still do the cuticle, you do the soaking and hydrate everything," says Buddemeier, "but you just put no polish on."

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The team examined relationships between cuticle volume, colony size, and evolutionary diversification across more than 500 ant species.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026

Except for one picked cuticle on a fingernail, which was ever so slightly rimmed with blood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025

She bit reflectively at the cuticle of her thumb.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

While thinner cuticles leave individual ants more vulnerable, the authors suggest this tradeoff may actually encourage the growth of large societies.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 2025

"Remy hair has aligned cuticles, hair flows uniformly in one direction, which leads to less tangling and a silkier texture. This is high-value hair," says George Cherion, the company's chief executive.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2025

Oils and moisturizing treatments can even restore damaged cuticles.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 16, 2023

That tic where Rose devours her cuticles with increasing intensity?

From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2022

By the time she left, she’d have bitten her nails and cuticles ragged, and her mother would shake her head and say she was going to make her wear gloves.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

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