n.
- The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates; epidermis.
- The strip of hardened skin at the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail.
- Dead or cornified epidermis.
- Zoology. The noncellular, hardened or membranous protective covering of many invertebrates, such as the transparent membrane that covers annelids.
- Botany. The layer of cutin covering the epidermis of the aerial parts of plants.
[Latin cutīcula, diminutive of cutis, skin.]
cuticular cu·tic'u·lar (-tĭk'yə-lər) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.