nail
pronunciation
How to pronounce nail in British English:
UK [neɪl]
How to pronounce nail in American English:
US [neɪl]
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- Noun:
- horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
- a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener
- a former unit of length for cloth equal to 1/16 of a yard
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- Verb:
- attach something somewhere by means of nails
- take into custody
- hit hard
- succeed in obtaining a position
- succeed at easily
- locate exactly
- complete a pass
Word Origin
- nail
- nail: [OE] The Indo-European ancestor of nail was *nogh- or *onogh-. The latter was the source of Latin unguis (which evolved into French ongle and Italian unghia and has given English ungulate [19]) and Greek ónux (source of English onyx). Both these strands refer only to the sort of nails that grow on fingers and toes, but the Germanic branch of the family (which has come from *nogh- through a prehistoric Germanic *naglaz) has differentiated into a ‘fastening pin’ – originally of wood, latterly of metal.Hence English nail and German nagel cover both meanings (although Dutch and Swedish nagel and Danish negl are used only for the anatomical ‘nail’).=> onyx, ungulate
- nail (n.)
- Old English negel "metal pin," nægl "fingernail (handnægl), toenail," from Proto-Germanic *naglaz (cognates: Old Norse nagl "fingernail," nagli "metal nail;" Old Saxon and Old High German nagel, Old Frisian neil, Middle Dutch naghel, Dutch nagel, German Nagel "fingernail, small metal spike"), from PIE root *(o)nogh "nail" (cognates: Greek onyx "claw, fingernail;" Latin unguis "nail, claw;" Old Church Slavonic noga "foot," noguti "nail, claw;" Lithuanian naga "hoof," nagutis "fingernail;" Old Irish ingen, Old Welsh eguin "nail, claw"). The "fingernail" sense seems to be the original one. Nail polish attested from 1891. To bite one's nails as a sign of anxiety is attested from 1570s. Nail-biting is from 1805. Hard as nails is from 1828. To hit the nail on the head "say or do just the right thing" is first recorded 1520s. Phrase on the nail "on the spot, exactly" is from 1590s, of obscure origin; OED says it is not even certain it belongs to this sense of nail.
- nail (v.)
- Old English næglian "to fasten with nails," from Proto-Germanic *ganaglijan (cognates: Old Saxon neglian, Old Norse negla, Old High German negilen, German nageln, Gothic ganagljan "to nail"), from the root of nail (n.). Related: Nailed; nailing. Meaning "to catch, seize" is first recorded 1766, probably from earlier sense "to keep fixed in a certain position" (1610s). Meaning "to succeed in hitting" is from 1886. To nail down "to fix down with nails" is from 1660s.
Example
- 1. Nail polish contains toxic products like toluene , phenol and xylene .
- 2. This nail will not hold such a heavy mirror .
- 3. Will re-apply the screws and nail gun .
- 4. Look -- obama nail polish !
- 5. Should you let your three-year-old wear her child-friendly nail polish to preschool ?