English Online Dictionary. What means nail? What does nail mean?
English
Pronunciation
- enPR: nāl, IPA(key): /neɪl/, [neɪ̯ɫ]
- Rhymes: -eɪl
Etymology 1
From Middle English nail, nayl, Old English næġl, from Proto-West Germanic *nagl, from Proto-Germanic *naglaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ- (“nail”).
Noun
nail (plural nails)
- The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.
- The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera.
- The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds.
- The claw of a bird or other animal.
- 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.
- 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).
Derived terms
Translations
See also
- claw
- talon
Etymology 2
From Middle English naylen, from Old English næġlan.
Verb
nail (third-person singular simple present nails, present participle nailing, simple past and past participle nailed)
- (transitive) To fix (an object) to another object using a nail.
- Coordinate terms: pin, rivet, screw; see also Thesaurus:join
- (intransitive) To drive a nail.
- Synonym: hammer
- (transitive) To stud or boss with nails, or as if with nails.
- (slang) To catch.
- Synonyms: arrest, collar, nick; see also Thesaurus:capture
- (transitive, slang) To expose as a sham.
- (transitive, slang) To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully.
- Synonyms: ace, fullbring, fulfill
- Antonym: screw
- (transitive, slang) To hit (a target) effectively with some weapon.
- (transitive, vulgar, slang) Of a male, to engage in sexual intercourse with.
- Synonyms: dick, pound, rail, screw; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
- (military) To spike, as a cannon.
- (transitive) To nail down: to make certain, or confirm.
- Synonyms: clinch, fix, lock down, pin down
Derived terms
Translations
See also
- Wikipedia disambiguation page on both meanings of nail
- Wikipedia disambiguation page on spike
- Nail in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
Anagrams
- I-lan, INLA, Ilan, LNAI, Lain, Lani, Lian, Lina, Nila, anil, lain
Bouyei
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nɐi˨˦/
Etymology 1
Noun
nail
- grandmother
Etymology 2
Noun
nail
- snow
- ice
Middle English
Noun
nail
- Alternative form of nayl
Vietnamese
Etymology
English nail.
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [new˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [new˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [new˧˧]
- Phonetic: nêu
- Homophone: nêu
Noun
nail
- nailcare
- làm nail ― perform nailcare
- nghề nail ― nailcare as a profession
Welsh
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nai̯l/
Noun
nail
- Nasal mutation of dail.