hangnail

noun

hang·​nail ˈhaŋ-ˌnāl How to pronounce hangnail (audio)
: a bit of skin hanging loose at the side or root of a fingernail

Did you know?

Hangnail is altered by folk etymology from angnail or agnail, which originally did not correspond to what we now know as “hangnail.” In Old English angnægl meant “corn on the foot,” with the element nægl referring not to a fingernail but rather the nail we drive in with a hammer, with the head of an iron nail being likened to a hard corn. By the 16th century, the association of -nail with the body’s nails led to a new sense, “an inflammation around a finger- or toenail.” The first element, ang- or ag-, which is akin to Old English enge, “painful,” was no longer understandable. Some speakers altered it to hang-, so that the dominant sense of both hangnail and agnail came to be “loose skin at the root of a fingernail.”

Examples of hangnail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Everybody has them, especially in the modern era, when hangnails get you on the IL. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025 The plush, balmy texture coats nails and fingers, quickly working to diminish hangnails and dryness overnight. Lisa Desantis, Glamour, 18 July 2025 Experts say that most hangnails will go away on their own, but there are ways to speed up the process, and even prevent them from emerging in the first place. Julia Calderone, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024 Either way, hangnails and dry fingertips will be a thing of the past with these hyper-hydrating cuticle-care products. Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 6 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for hangnail

Word History

Etymology

by folk etymology from agnail inflammation about the nail, from Middle English, corn on the foot or toe, from Old English angnægl, from ang- (akin to enge tight, painful) + nægl nail — more at anger

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hangnail was in 1678

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Cite this Entry

“Hangnail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hangnail. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

hangnail

noun
hang·​nail -ˌnāl How to pronounce hangnail (audio)
: a bit of skin hanging loose at the side or base of a fingernail

Medical Definition

hangnail

noun
hang·​nail ˈhaŋ-ˌnāl How to pronounce hangnail (audio)
: a bit of skin hanging loose at the side or root of a fingernail

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