noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈkjuːtɪkəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪkəl
CMU ARPABET:K Y UW1 T AH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:K Y UW1 T IH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates.
The strip of hardened skin at the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: epidermis, perionychium, perionyx
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: epidermis
2
noun
Meaning 2
The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates.
Dead or cornified epidermis.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: epidermis
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: epidermis
3
noun
Meaning 3
A noncellular protective covering outside the epidermis of many invertebrates.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology
Examples
Holonym: exoskeleton
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A noncellular protective covering outside the epidermis of many plants.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A thin skin formed on the surface of a liquid.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A protective layer on the shell of a bird's egg.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: carapace, shell, shield
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: scute
Narrower terms: cuticula
8
noun
Meaning 8
the outer layer of the skin covering the exterior body surface of vertebrates
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: epidermis
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stratum
Narrower terms: mantle, pallium
9
noun
Meaning 9
the dead skin at the base of a fingernail or toenail
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: skin, tegument, cutis
History
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin cutīcula (“cuticle, skin”). Doublet of cuticula.
Across languages
Translations
42 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
بُشَيْرَة
(bušayra)
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Bulgarian:
живец
(živec)
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Chinese Mandarin:
角質層 /角质层
(jiǎozhìcéng)
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Czech:
kůžička
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Dutch:
nagelriem
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Esperanto:
kutiklo
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Finnish:
kynsivalli
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Finnish:
kynsinauha
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
French:
cuticule
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Galician:
cutícula
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
German:
Nagelhaut
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Irish:
cúitineach
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Italian:
cuticola
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Macedonian:
жи́вец
(žívec)
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Macedonian:
кути́кула
(kutíkula)
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Norwegian Bokmål:
neglebånd
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Norwegian Bokmål:
negleband
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Norwegian Nynorsk:
nagleband
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Portuguese:
cutícula
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Russian:
кути́кула
(kutíkula)
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Scottish Gaelic:
cneas
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Spanish:
cutícula
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Swedish:
nagelband
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Ukrainian:
кути́кула
(kutýkula)
— strip of hardened skin at the base of the finger and toenail
Finnish:
kuollut iho
— dead or cornified epidermis
Scottish Gaelic:
cneas
— dead or cornified epidermis
