toenail

[toh-neyl]

noun

1. a nail of a toe.

2. Carpentry.,  a nail driven obliquely.

3. Printing Slang.,  a parenthesis.

verb (used with object)

1. Carpentry.,  to secure with oblique nailing.

toenail

/ ˈtəʊˌneɪl /

noun

1. a thin horny translucent plate covering part of the dorsal surface of the end joint of each toe

2. carpentry a nail driven obliquely, as in joining one beam at right angles to another

3. slang,  printing a parenthesis

verb

1. (tr) carpentry to join (beams) by driving nails obliquely

Word History and Origins

Origin of toenail¹

First recorded in 1835–45; toe + nail

Example Sentences

Eubank was admitted to hospital after the win and said he lost a toenail to "severe dehydration".

From BBC

Uzcátegui said guards once pulled out his toenails and denied him medication despite a high fever.

From Los Angeles Times

Since Carrie has been married — been there, done that — one would think she wouldn’t be in a hurry to sweep up some other dude’s thickened toenail clippings.

From Salon

Ms Han said she spent all day pounding the streets looking for her daughter "till all 10 of my toenails fell out".

From BBC

Along the way toenails have fallen off, his feet began rotting and he sometimes hallucinated due to broken sleep caused by pain in his bones.

From BBC