unguis

[uhng-gwis]

noun, plural un·gues

[uhng-gweez] /ˈʌŋ gwiz/.

a nail, claw, or hoof.
Botany. the clawlike base of certain petals.

Origin of unguis

1685–95; < Latin unguis a nail, claw, hoof; akin to Greek ónyx

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ungues

paw, tentacle, fingernail, ungulate, frog, tramp, foot, cleft, unguis, cloven, talon, nipper, crook, hook, barb, spur, clapperclaw, fang, manus, grapnel

Examples from the Web for ungues

Historical Examples of ungues

They include the Lobus superior, the Lobus inferior, and the Ungues.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)
William Kirby
Each of the ungues has a little tuft of strong hairs issuing from the extremity of the terminal joint of the tarsi.
Illustrations of Exotic Entomology, Volume 1
Dru Drury
Tanquam ungues digitosque suos—As well as his nails and fingers; at his fingers' ends.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources
James Wood
The furca is, as a rule, a powerful motor-organ, and has its laminae edged with strong teeth (ungues) or setae or both.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6
Various

British Dictionary definitions for ungues

unguis

noun plural -gues (-ɡwiːz)

a nail, claw, or hoof, or the part of the digit giving rise to it
the clawlike base of certain petals

Word Origin for unguis

C18: from Latin

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

ungues in Medicine

unguis

[ŭng′gwĭs]

n. pl. un•gues (-gwēz)

Any of the thin horny translucent plates covering the upper surface at the end of each finger and toe, consisting of a visible body and a root concealed under a fold of skin; a fingernail or toenail.onyx