nail

¹nail

noun \ˈnāl\

Definition of NAIL

1

a : a horny sheath protecting the upper end of each finger and toe of humans and most other primates b : a structure (as a claw) that terminates a digit and corresponds to a nail

2

: a slender usually pointed and headed fastener designed to be pounded in

Examples of NAIL

1. a hammer and some nails
2. I get my nails done at the beauty salon every other week.
3. a pair of nail clippers

Origin of NAIL

Middle English, from Old English nægl; akin to Old High German nagal nail, fingernail, Latin unguis fingernail, toenail, claw, Greek onyx

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Hardware Terms

adze, auger, awl, chock, ferrule, punch, tang

Rhymes with NAIL

ail, ale, bail, bale, Bâle, brail, braille, Braille, dale, fail, flail, frail, Gael, gale, Gale, grail, hail, hale, jail, kale, mail, male, pail, pale, quail, Quayle, rail, sail, sale, scale, shale, snail, stale, swale, tael, tail, taille, tale, trail, vail, vale, veil, wail, wale, whale, Yale