toenail

[toh-neyl]

noun

1. a nail of a toe.

2. Carpentry.,  a nail driven obliquely.

3. Printing Slang.,  a parenthesis.

verb (used with object)

1. Carpentry.,  to secure with oblique nailing.

toenail

/ ˈtəʊˌneɪl /

noun

1. a thin horny translucent plate covering part of the dorsal surface of the end joint of each toe

2. carpentry a nail driven obliquely, as in joining one beam at right angles to another

3. slang,  printing a parenthesis

verb

1. (tr) carpentry to join (beams) by driving nails obliquely

Word History and Origins

Origin of toenail¹

First recorded in 1835–45; toe + nail

Example Sentences

Since Carrie has been married — been there, done that — one would think she wouldn’t be in a hurry to sweep up some other dude’s thickened toenail clippings.

From Salon

Ms Han said she spent all day pounding the streets looking for her daughter "till all 10 of my toenails fell out".

From BBC

Along the way toenails have fallen off, his feet began rotting and he sometimes hallucinated due to broken sleep caused by pain in his bones.

From BBC

First, there’s Pavements 1933-2002, an international exhibition that features artwork, Malkmus’ old notebooks and other ephemera, like a clipped toenail from original drummer Gary Young.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather than use a shared clipper, Bernoudy said, he would “wait until the shower, and I’d just peel my own toenails off.”

From Los Angeles Times