manicure
Americannoun
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a cosmetic treatment of the hands and fingernails, including trimming and polishing of the nails and removing cuticles.
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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
- unmanicured adjective
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.
"Our final, clear polish could be put over any manicure or even bare nails, which could help people with calluses on their fingertips, too. So, it has both a cosmetic and lifestyle benefit," explains Desai.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
Nail salons losing access to cheap disposable manicure tools should do it.
From Slate • May 2, 2025
Follow that with a manicure using colors from the OPI collection just like the one our heroines get when they reach the Emerald City.
From New York Times • Nov. 26, 2024
Stone, who is married to Broadway veteran actor Christopher Fitzgerald, celebrated her nomination in a very New York way: She got an everything toasted bagel with cream cheese and a manicure.
From Seattle Times • May 28, 2024
Windy shrugs and checks out her own manicure.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
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.
