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unguis

[ uhng-gwis ]
/ ˈʌŋ gwɪs /
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noun, plural un·gues [uhng-gweez]. /ˈʌŋ gwiz/.
a nail, claw, or hoof.
Botany. the clawlike base of certain petals.
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Origin of unguis

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

Words nearby unguis

unguentum, unguiculate, unguided, unguinal, unguinous, unguis, ungula, ungular, ungulate, unguligrade, Unh
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to unguis

fingernail, paw, tentacle, barb, clapperclaw, fang, grapnel, grappler, hook, manus, nipper, spur, talon, cleft, foot, ungulate, cant hook, ungula

How to use unguis in a sentence

  • The ancient writers, seeing the valves separate, placed it in their systems under the name Patella Unguis.

    A Conchological Manual|George Brettingham Sowerby

  • Unguis: one of the claws at the end of the tarsus: also applied to a short process on the 6th antennal joint in some Aphids.

    Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith

  • The malar bone, and the os unguis or lachrymal, are more or less developed according to the species considered.

    Artistic Anatomy of Animals|douard Cuyer

British Dictionary definitions for unguis

unguis
/ (ˈʌŋɡwɪs) /
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

Medical definitions for unguis

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
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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