perionychium

American

[per-ee-oh-nik-ee-uhm] / ˌpɛr i oʊˈnɪk i əm /

noun

Anatomy.

the epidermis surrounding the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail.

perionychium British

/ ˌpɛrɪəʊˈnɪkɪəm /

noun

the skin that surrounds a fingernail or toenail

"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

Inflected Forms

noun

perionychia

plural

Etymology

Origin of perionychium

From New Latin, dating back to 1900–05; see origin at perionychia ¹, -ium

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.

The perionychium is the site of hangnails, ingrown nails, and an infection of the skin called paronychia.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023