Dictionary

hangnail en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [heɪŋneɪ̯ɫ] (Canada, US) see /æ/ raising
• (US) audio
• /ˈhæŋneɪl/

Etymology

A corruption of agnail (literally “painful (anguished) nail”), by folk-etymological reanalysis as hang + nail; from Middle English agnail, from Old English angnæġl, from ang- (“tight/painful”) + næġl (“nail”). The first part is from Proto-Germanic *anguz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énǵʰus (“narrow, tight”), while the second is from Proto-Germanic *naglaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃negʰ-. The first component, ang- is also the origin of anguish, anger, and angst, while næġl is the origin of nail. Compare more "pure" Scots angernail, and similarly folk-influenced dialectal variants wrangnail and ragnail, all meaning "hangnail" and from Middle English. Cognate with Old High German ungnagel and Old Frisian angneil, o(n)gneil. Original sense of “loose strip of tissue”; the sense of “pointed corner of nail” is modern, and is connected with the reanalysis, due to stockings catching or “hanging” on the nail.

Meanings

1. A loose, narrow strip of nail tissue protruding from the side edge and anchored near the base of a fingernail or toenail.
2. A pointed upper corner of the toenail (often created by improperly trimming by rounding the corner) that, as the nail grows, presses into the flesh or protrudes so that it may catch (“hang”) on stockings or shoes.

Forms

Coordinates

whitlow

Deriveds

hangnailed

Synonyms

backfriend · agnail

Translations (60)

pt pelinha (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · mk зано́ктица (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ja ささくれ (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · es uñero (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · uk за́дерень (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · be задзі́рына (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ja さかむけ (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · eu hatz-bizar (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ca repeló (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · el παρωνυχίδα (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · pt espiga (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · uk за́дирка (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · cmn 倒刺 (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ota شیطان طرناغی (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · is annögl (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ru заусе́ница (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · rm spina da latg (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · gl respigo (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · pl zadzior (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · cs záděra (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ms kuku betul (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · sk záder (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · nl dwangnagel (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · tr şeytan tırnağı (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · la reduvia (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · sv nagelband (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · cmn 肉刺 (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · kn ಕುಂಚ (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · de Neidnagel (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · pt espigão (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · da neglerod (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · cy ewinbil (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · sh за̀ноктица (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · es repelo (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · hu körömbőr (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · nl stroopnagel (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · fi kynsipiikki (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · fr envie (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · be завусе́ніца (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ru заусе́нец (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · be жыві́ца (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · pl skórka (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ar سَأْفَة (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · rm spina da charn (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · tl taingandaga (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · gl espigo (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · sh zànoktica (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · nl nijdnagel (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ko 거스러미 (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · fa ناخنریش (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · it pipita (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · sq këlyshëz (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · nl nijnagel (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · de Niednagel (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · es padrastro (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · pt espigo (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · fr petite peau (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · li nagelren (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · hu körömszálka (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail) · ang angnæġl (protruding piece of nail tissue or skin near base of fingernail or toenail)