nail
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nail¹
- /neɪl/
- [neɪ̯ɫ]
Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English nail, nayl, Old English næġl, from Proto-West Germanic *nagl, from Proto-Germanic *naglaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ- (“nail”).
Cognates
Compare North Frisian Nail (“nail”), Saterland Frisian Nail (“nail”), West Frisian neil, German and Low German Nagel, Dutch and Swedish nagel, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål negl, Norwegian Nynorsk nagl, Finnish naula (“nail”), Estonian nael (“nail”), (compare Irish ionga, Latin unguis, Albanian nyell (“ankle, hard part of a limb”), Lithuanian nagas, Russian нога́ (nogá, “foot, leg”), но́готь (nógotʹ, “nail”), Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux), Persian ناخن (nâxon), Sanskrit नख (nakhá).
noun nails
- The horny plate or appendage at the ends of the digits of various animals, including most reptiles, birds, and mammals (both nonhuman and human).
- The thin, flat type of such a plate on the fingers and toes of humans, chimpanzees and some other primates. When I'm nervous I bite my nails.
- The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera.
- The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks and other allied birds.
- A spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials. The nail is generally driven through two or more layers of material by means of impacts from a hammer or other device. It is then held in place by friction. Yesterday my shirt got torn after I caught it on a nail.
- A round pedestal on which merchants once carried out their business, such as the four nails outside The Exchange, Bristol.
- An archaic English unit of length equivalent to ¹⁄₂₀ of an ell or ¹⁄₁₆ of a yard (2+¹⁄₄ inches or 5.715 cm).
nail²
- /neɪl/
- [neɪ̯ɫ]
Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English naylen, from Old English næġlan.
verb nails · nailing · nailed
- To fix (an object) to another object using a nail. He nailed the placard to the post.
-
To drive a nail.
He used the ax head for nailing.
Similar: hammer
- To stud or boss with nails, or as if with nails. The rivets of their arms were nail'd with gold.
-
To catch.
I pray you now send me some dub, / A bottle or two to the needy. / I beg you won't bring it yourself, / The harman is at the Old-Bailey; / I'd rather you'd send it behalf, / For, if they twig you they'll nail you.
Similar: arrest, collar, nick, apprehend, begripe, capture, fang, grasp, get, gripe, lay hold of, rape
- To expose as a sham.
- To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully. I really nailed that test.
- To hit (a target) effectively with some weapon. Fly-half Ruaridh Jackson departed early with injury but Chris Paterson nailed a penalty from wide out left to give Scotland an early lead, and Jackson's replacement Dan Parks added three more points with a penalty which skimmed over the crossbar.
-
Of a male, to engage in sexual intercourse with.
Allison Reynolds: I'm a nymphomaniac. […] The only person I told was my shrink. / Andrew Clark: And what did he do when you told him? / Allison Reynolds: He nailed me.
Similar: dick, pound, rail, screw, Formal terms, bed, coit, coitize, dight, enjoy, feague, go in unto
- To spike, as a cannon. That the Ordinance be not nayled, nor the munition fiered.
- To nail down: to make certain, or confirm.
- To steal. Loud was the laughter at this and other remarks about nailing "stooks" (silk pocket handkerchiefs), "clouts" (cotton ditto), german sausages, &c.
Nail³
Where it comes from
From nail, hence a metonymic occupational surname for a maker of nails, or a nickname for a tall and slender person.
proper noun Nails · Naill
- A surname transferred from the nickname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: cop, blast, nail down, collar, peg, boom, smash, pick up, pass, nab, make it, apprehend, complete, arrest, fingernail, tooth
Translations
Every language
noun on fingers and toes
| Español | uña, garra |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 손톱 sontop, 발톱 baltop |
| 日本語 | 爪 tsume |
| 中文 | 指甲 zhǐjia, 手指甲 shǒuzhǐjia |
| हिन्दी | नाख़ुन nāxun, नख nakh, नाखुन nākhun |
| Kiswahili | ukucha |
| Português | unha |
| Français | ongle |
| Deutsch | Nagel |
| Italiano | unghia |
| Ελληνικά | νύχι nýchi |
| Română | unghie |
| Русский | но́готь nógotʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | móng, móng tay |
| العربية | ظُفْر ẓufr |
| עברית | צִפֹּרֶן, ציפורן tzippóren |
noun spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials
| Español | clavo, punta, estoperol |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 못 mot |
| 日本語 | 釘 kugi |
| 中文 | 釘子 /钉子 dīngzi |
| हिन्दी | कील kīl, नेल nel |
| Kiswahili | msumari |
| Português | prego, cravo |
| Français | clou |
| Deutsch | Nagel |
| Italiano | chiodo |
| Ελληνικά | καρφί karfí |
| Română | cui |
| Русский | гвоздь gvozdʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | đinh |
| العربية | مِسْمَار mismār |
| עברית | מַסְמֵר masmér |
noun archaic unit of length
| Français | seize |
|---|
verb catch
| Português | pegar |
|---|---|
| Français | choper |
| Deutsch | festnageln, sich krallen |
| Italiano | inchiodare |
verb accomplish something completely and successfully
| Español | acertar, atinar, achuntar |
|---|---|
| Français | envoyer |
verb hit a target effectively with some weapon
| Español | achuntar, acertar |
|---|---|
| Français | toucher |
| Ελληνικά | καρφώνω karfóno |
verb employ a nail as a fastener
| Español | clavar, clavetear, sufrir, entibar |
|---|---|
| Português | pregar |
| Français | clouer |
| Deutsch | festnageln, nageln, annageln |
| Italiano | inchiodare |
| Ελληνικά | καρφώνω karfóno |
| Русский | прибивать pribivatʹ, приколачивать prikolačivatʹ, пригвоздить prigvozditʹ |
| עברית | סִמֵּר simér, מִסְמֵר mismér |
Talk about this word "nail." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nail. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nail. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nail "nail." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nail.Cite this
@misc{nail_2026,
title = {nail},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nail},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
