unguis

[uhng-gwis]

See more synonyms for unguis on Thesaurus.com

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 unguis

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 unguis

Historical Examples of unguis

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

British Dictionary definitions for unguis

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

unguis 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