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

Etymology

Origin of cuticle

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cuticle cuticles

The research team proposed that colony size might be linked to how much ants invest in their cuticle.

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 look at my nail where my cuticle hangs off, stinging and pink.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

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

But at that time, the gland only made a fatty acid solvent similar to the hydrocarbons that almost all insects make in their cuticles to prevent desiccation and to communicate chemically.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 27, 2023

That tic where Rose devours her cuticles with increasing intensity?

From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2022

She keeps her eyes on his cuticles and I can see her speaking.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan