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pedicure

American  
[ped-i-kyoor] / ˈpɛd ɪˌkjʊər /

noun

  • pedicures
    plural
  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.


pedicure British  
/ ˈpɛdɪˌkjʊə /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing pedicure

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.

See Examples For:

I’d previously enjoyed a pedicure here, but this visit called for a facial.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026

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

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

The nail salon where we’d last enjoyed pedicures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

Their services include massages, facials, body treatments, and salon services such as manicures and pedicures.

From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026

Vanessa McCullough, a mobile manicurist who lives in Laurel Canyon, is offering free nail services — manicures and pedicures — to those affected by the fires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025

If you are generally in good health, regular pedicures at a nail salon may be an option — and allow you to avoid the cost of uncovered services at a podiatrist’s office, Kor says.

From Washington Post ● May 1, 2023

Grammy will never go for pedicures or enjoy shopping for pretty dresses.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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