cuticle

[ kyoo-ti-kuh l ]

/ ˈkyu tɪ kəl /

noun

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

the epidermis.

a superficial integument, membrane, or the like.

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.

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

Nearby words

Origin of cuticle

1605–15; < Latin cutīcula the skin, equivalent to cuti(s) skin, cutis + -cula -cle¹

Related formscu·tic·u·lar

[kyoo-tik-yuh-ler] /kyuˈtɪk yə lər/, adjectivesub·cu·tic·u·lar, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cuticle

The cuticle is smoky olive to fuliginous, darker when young, becoming paler as the pileus expands, but always darker on the umbo.
Studies of American Fungi. Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc.|George Francis Atkinson
Some persons are troubled by the cuticle adhering to the nail as it grows.
Our Deportment|John H. Young
During a moult the cuticle of the head is cast separately from that of the body.
Garden Pests in New Zealand|D. Miller
A bruise may be distinguished from a post-mortem stain by the cuticle in the former often being abraded and raised.
Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology|W. G. Aitchison Robertson

If the cuticle has been removed, there will be much suffering, because the nerves are unduly stimulated by the air.
A Treatise on Anatomy, Physiology, and Hygiene (Revised Edition)|Calvin Cutter

British Dictionary definitions for cuticle

cuticle

/ (ˈkjuːtɪkəl) /

noun

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

another name for epidermis

any covering layer or membrane

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

the hard protective layer covering the epidermis of many invertebrates

Derived Formscuticular (kjuːˈtɪkjʊlə), adjective

Word Origin for cuticle

C17: from Latin cutīcula diminutive of cutis skin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cuticle

cuticle

1610s, from Latin cuticula, diminutive of cutis "skin," from PIE *ku-ti-, from root *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (cf. Lithuanian kiautas "husk," Old English hyd "skin, hide;" see hide (n.1)). Specialized sense of "skin at the base of the nail" is from 1907. Related: Cuticular.

Medicine definitions for cuticle

cuticle

[ kyōō′tĭ-kəl ]

n.

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

The outermost layer of the skin; epidermis.

Dead or cornified epidermis.

Science definitions for cuticle

cuticle

[ kyōō′tĭ-kəl ]

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

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.

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