n.
A small piece of dead skin at the side or the base of a fingernail that is partly detached from the rest of the skin.
[Alteration of AGNAIL (influenced by HANG).]
Dictionary:
hang·nail (hăng'nāl')
|
| 5min Related Video: hangnail |
| Veterinary Dictionary: hangnail |
Excessive growth and cracking of the cuticle on the feet of elephants.
| Wikipedia: Hangnail |
A hangnail or agnail is a small, torn piece of skin near a fingernail or toenail. Unlike whitlows, hangnails are usually caused by dry skin or (in the case of fingernails) nail biting, and may be prevented with proper moisturization of the skin.
When attempting to remove a hangnail, additional skin may be painfully ripped off if its attachment if not broken properly. This may lead to a painful infection called paronychia. Therefore, hangnails should usually be cut using nail scissors or a nail clipper; biting them frequently makes it worse. People with a hangnail should be careful to cut it all off and rub hand lotion into the cuticles two to three times a day.[1]
The term "hangnail" is misleading, as a hangnail is not an actual part of the nail. It is dead, dried skin, not nail, the latter being mostly made up of keratin, a tough fibrous protein. It can, however, also include a bit of nail, hanging loose from the rest of the body of the nail, attached to the nail bed.
Colloquial terms for hangnail in the UK include "catchy"[2] and "stepmother's blessing".[3]
Agnail is the Middle English term meaning "corn". It comes from the Old English term angnægl (from ang- tight/painful + nægl- nail). Agnail was adapted to hangnail by a process of folk etymology.[4]
| Look up hangnail or agnail in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hangnail |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Hangnail |
Nederlands (Dutch)
nijnagel, hangnagel
Français (French)
n. - petite peau
Deutsch (German)
n. - zerrissenes Hautstück an der Fingernagelwurzel
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - παρωνυχίδα
Português (Portuguese)
n. - pedaço (m) de pele seca ao lado da unha
Español (Spanish)
n. - padrastro
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - trasigt nagelband
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
手指头的倒拉刺
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 手指頭的倒拉刺
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) الساف جزء من الجلد متدل بجانب الظفر أو عند جذره
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - דלדלת הציפרניים, דחס (דלקת מוגלתית בעור הציפורניים)
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
| agnail | |
| reduviid | |
| reduvid |
| How long will hangnail infection last? Read answer... | |
| What do hangnails look like? Read answer... | |
| What do you do if you have a hangnail? Read answer... |
| How do you cure an infected hangnail on your toe? | |
| Why is the skin next to a hangnail I have green? | |
| Hangnails usually mean lack of? |
Copyrights:
![]() | Dictionary. 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. Read more | |
![]() | Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hangnail". Read more | |
![]() | Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
Mentioned in