agnail
9.9
A small torn piece of skin at the edge of a fingernail that can hurt and get infected
- noun
- /ˈæɡneɪl/
- Archaic
:
padrastro
- Biting an agnail can make your finger sore and lead to infection.
Examples
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She winced as she pulled at the agnail on her thumb.
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Washing your hands gently helps prevent agnails from forming.
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She has an agnail on her thumb.
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My agnail hurts whenever I touch it.
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She winced as she pulled at the agnail on her thumb.
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My agnail hurts whenever I touch it.
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Washing your hands gently helps prevent agnails from forming.
Synonyms
hangnail
vsagnail
8
4.9
A small piece of torn skin at the edge of a fingernail that can hurt and may get infected
has identical meaning but is an alternative form used in writing
Surface Forms
Etymology
Agnail comes from an old English word angnægl, made of ang- meaning 'pain' and -nail meaning 'nail', and later people changed the form to hangnail because the torn skin looks like it 'hangs'. So an agnail is a small, painful bit of skin by the fingernail.