cuticle

American  

[kyoo-ti-kuhl] / ˈkyu tɪ kəl /

noun

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  

/ kjuːˈtɪkjʊlə, 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

Etymology

Origin of cuticle

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

Example Sentences

Lower cuticle investment allows colonies to grow larger, and larger colonies further reduce the pressure for each ant to be strongly protected.

From Science Daily • Dec. 22, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025

Malice follows suit, assuring “Your lucky streak is now losing you / Money’s dried up like a cuticle / You’re gasping for air now, it’s beautiful.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

For example, drought prompts plants to thicken the waxy cuticle layer on leaf surfaces.

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2024

I pretended to study a torn cuticle to miss his scrutiny.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson