pedicure

American  

[ped-i-kyoor] / ˈpɛd ɪˌkyʊər /

noun

1. professional care and treatment of the feet, as removal of corns and trimming of toenails.

2. a single treatment of the feet.

3. a podiatrist.

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pedicure British  

/ ˈpɛdɪˌkjʊə /

noun

1. professional treatment of the feet, either by a medical expert or a cosmetician

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Other Word Forms

• pedicurist noun

Etymology

Origin of pedicure

From the French word pédicure, dating back to 1835–45. See pedi-, cure

Explanation

A pedicure is a treatment for your feet that feels good and usually leaves you with brightly painted toenails. You might have a pedicure as part of a visit to a spa — your toenails will be trimmed, filed, and polished, and your feet might even be massaged. When the attention is focused on your toes, it's a pedicure, while the same kind of treatment on your hands and fingernails is called a manicure. The word pedicure has Latin roots: ped, or "foot," and curare, "to care for."

Example Sentences

Kenneth Santana-Rodriguez brought along his 9mm handgun on a pedicure date with a woman at “A Touch of Beauty” nail salon in Holyoke, Mass.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

The head of Congress has demanded that MP Lucinda Vasquez be punished after she was photographed lounging on a sofa in her office while an adviser gave her a pedicure.

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

Minutes earlier she was giving a customer a pedicure in a busy nail bar, but ran out the back when officers raided the shop.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024

Parts of his and, especially, her toes needed repainting from scratch, with the intact imagery in the Uffizi pair used as a helpful guide to the painterly pedicure.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2024

When we go to my room and take off the dress, Mrs. Walton says the next step is to get a manicure and pedicure.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles