ungual

[ uhng-gwuhl ]

/ ˈʌŋ gwəl /

Save This Word!

adjective

of, pertaining to, bearing, or shaped like a nail, claw, or hoof.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ungual

1825–35; <Latin ungu(is) a nail, claw, hoof (akin to Greek ónyx) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM ungual

sub·un·gual, adjective

Words nearby ungual

ungracious, ungrammatical, ungrateful, ungrudging, ungt., ungual, unguarded, unguent, unguentum, unguiculate, unguided

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ungual in a sentence

The ungual phalanx progressively decreases in size from the first to the fourth.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The limbs are plantigrade, and have five digits with rather pointed ungual phalanges.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The terminal or ungual phalanges of the digits are commonly specially modified to support nails, claws, or hoofs.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
In Orycteropus the pollex is absent, while the other digits are terminated by pointed ungual phalanges.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

In the Chiroptera the pes is pentedactylate, and the digits are terminated by long curved ungual phalanges.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for ungual

ungual

ungular (ˈʌŋɡjʊlə)

/ (ˈʌŋɡwəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or affecting the fingernails or toenails

of or relating to an unguis

Word Origin for ungual

C19: from Latin unguis nail, claw

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