cuticle Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the dead skin at the base of a fingernail or toenail
  2. noun the outer layer of the skin covering the exterior body surface of vertebrates
    epidermis.
  3. noun hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
    shell; carapace; shield.

WordNet

Cu"ti*cle noun
Etymology
L. cuticula, dim. of cuttis skin; akin to E. hide skin of an animal.
Definitions
  1. (Anat.) The scarfskin or epidermis. See Skin.
  2. (Bot.) The outermost skin or pellicle of a plant, found especially in leaves and young stems.
  3. A thin skin formed on the surface of a liquid.

Webster 1913