hangnail
/'hæɳneil/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A small, often painful piece of torn or loose skin at the side or base of a fingernail or toenail. It is typically a narrow strip of epidermis that has partially detached.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- I need to trim this hangnail before it tears further.
- Biting a hangnail can lead to an infection.
- She applied lotion to her dry cuticles to prevent hangnails.
Advanced Usage
- Medical/Technical Context: While commonly called a hangnail, this condition is medically termed an agnail or, more accurately, a form of onychocryptosis or paronychia when it becomes infected. The term describes the symptom, not the cause, which is often dry skin or minor injury to the cuticle.
- The patient presented with paronychia originating from an irritated hangnail.
Variants and Related Words
- Agnail (n): An archaic or technical term for a hangnail.
- Cuticle (n): The layer of skin at the base of the nail, where hangnails commonly occur.
- Nail fold (n): The skin surrounding the nail plate; the area affected by a hangnail.
Synonyms
- Torn cuticle: A descriptive synonym focusing on the cause.
- Nail tear: A simple descriptive term.
- Skin tag (near the nail): Although "skin tag" more commonly refers to a different condition, it is sometimes used informally for a hangnail.
Related Phrases
- To have a hangnail: To be experiencing this condition.
- I can't play guitar comfortably because I have a hangnail on my thumb.
- To tear a hangnail: To accidentally make it worse by pulling on it.
- It's better to clip it than to tear a hangnail.
Notes on Meaning
- The term "hangnail" is a common noun. It is often confused with an ingrown nail, but they are distinct conditions. A hangnail specifically refers to the loose skin the nail, not the nail itself growing into the skin.
- The discomfort arises because this area is rich in nerve endings.
Noun
- a loose narrow strip of skin near the base of a fingernail; tearing it produces a painful sore that is easily infected