Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [neyl]
- /neɪl/
- /neɪl/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [neyl]
- /neɪl/
Definitions of nail word
- noun nail a slender, typically rod-shaped rigid piece of metal, usually in any of numerous standard lengths from a fraction of an inch to several inches and having one end pointed and the other enlarged and flattened, for hammering into or through wood, other building materials, etc., as used in building, in fastening, or in holding separate pieces together. 1
- noun nail a thin, horny plate, consisting of modified epidermis, growing on the upper side of the end of a finger or toe. 1
- noun nail a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 2¼ inches (6.4 cm). 1
- verb with object nail to fasten with a nail or nails: to nail the cover on a box. 1
- verb with object nail to enclose or confine (something) by nailing (often followed by up): to nail up oranges in a crate. 1
- verb with object nail to make fast or keep firmly in one place or position: Surprise nailed him to the spot. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of nail
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; (noun) Middle English nail(l), nayl(l), Old English nægl, cognate with Old Frisian neil, Old Saxon, Old High German nagal, Dutch nagel, German Nagel, Old Norse nagl fingernail, all < Germanic *naglaz; akin as derivative to Lithuanian nãgas, nagà hoof, OPruss nage foot, OCS noga leg, foot (Serbo-Croatian nòga, Czech noha, Russian nogá; probably orig. jocular reference to the foot as a hoof), OCS nogŭtĭ, Tocharian A maku, B mekwa fingernail, claw, all < North European Indo-European *Honogwh-; further akin to Old Irish ingen, Welsh ewin, Breton ivin < Celtic *ṇgwhīnā, Latin unguis < Italo-Celtic *Hongwhi-; Greek ónyx, stem onych-, Armenian ełungn < *Honogwh-; (v.) Middle English nail(l)(e), nayl(l)e(n), Old English næglian, cognate with Old Saxon neglian, Old High German negilen, Old Norse negla < Germanic *nagl-janan; compare Gothic ganagljan
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Nail
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
nail popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
nail usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for nail
verb nail
noun nail
- peg — a female given name, form of Peggy.
Antonyms for nail
verb nail
- detach — If you detach one thing from another that it is fixed to, you remove it. If one thing detaches from another, it becomes separated from it.
- loosen — to unfasten or undo, as a bond or fetter.
- release — to lease again.
- liberate — to set free, as from imprisonment or bondage.
- separate — to keep apart or divide, as by an intervening barrier or space: to separate two fields by a fence.
Top questions with nail
- how to remove gel nail polish?
- how long does nail polish take to dry?
- how to remove gel nail?
- how to get nail polish out of carpet?
- how to get nail polish off carpet?
- how to get nail polish out of clothes?
- how to trim dogs nail?
- how to remove nail polish from carpet?
- how to remove nail polish?
- how to take off gel nail polish?
- how to remove nail polish without nail polish remover?
- how to get nail polish off skin?