nail English · revision 6376

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725|origins=ine-pro *h₃nogʰ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /neɪl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English nail, [[inh|ang|nægl|alt=nægel, nægl|t=fingernail; metal peg]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) from [[gem-pro|*naglaz]],^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) cognate with [[nl|nagel]], [[de|Nagel]] and [[non|nagl]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from PIE [[ine-pro|*h₃nogʰ-|alt=*(o)nogh-|t=nail of a finger or toe]], also the source of [[m|grc|ὄνυξ|tr=ónux|t=claw]] and [[m|la|unguis|t=fingernail]].^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A fingernail or toenail: about 725 in the OED, before 725 in Barnhart;^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988) a metal peg, in scōhnægl, shoe nail, before 800.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Etymonline judges the fingernail sense to be the original, though many figurative uses come from the metal spike.^(Etymonline) A claw or talon is from before 1100.^(OED 1989) As a unit of cloth measure, about 2¼ inches, it is from the late 14th century.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) ''To hit the nail on the head'' is by the 1520s,^(Etymonline) ''on the nail'', at once, from the 1590s,^(Etymonline) and ''hard as nails'' from 1828.^(Etymonline) Word Origins traces ''nail a lie'' to shopkeepers nailing forged coins to the counter.^(Cresswell 2021) The verb, to fasten with nails, is Old English næglian;^(Etymonline) to catch or arrest is by 1760 and 1930.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – a fingernail.^(OED 1989)

+ * before 800 – a metal spike.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * late 14th century – a unit of length.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1520s – hit the nail on the head.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1828 – hard as nails.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A thin pointed piece of metal with a flat head, hammered in to join things.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The hard covering on the tip of a finger or toe.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To fasten with nails.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(informal)'' To catch or [[arrest]]; to expose: ''nail a lie''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(informal)'' To do something perfectly.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[nailer]]

+ * [[nailless]]

+ * [[naillike]]

+ * [[hobnail]]

+ * [[nailhead]]

+ * [[renail]]

+ * [[thumbnail]]

+ * [[treenail]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fingernail]]

+ * [[toenail]]

+ * [[onyx]]

+ * [[ungulate]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}