cuticle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the thin layer of dead skin at the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail

   She softened each cuticle before carefully pushing it back.

2. 2
   noun

   a tough, flexible outer covering secreted by many invertebrates, including arthropods

   The insect sheds its cuticle as it grows.

3. 3
   noun

   a waxy protective layer covering the epidermis of leaves and young plant stems

   A thick cuticle helps the leaf reduce water loss in dry weather.

Through French cuticule from Latin cuticula, 'little skin,' the diminutive of cutis, 'skin.' The word first meant a thin outer skin and was later specialized for the nail margin and for protective outer layers in zoology and botany.

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