cuticle
noun
- the outer layer of the skin; epidermis
- hardened skin, such as accumulates at the base and sides of a fingernail
- Bot. a delicate, waxy layer over the outer surface of the epidermis of plants: it contains cutin and protects against water loss and parasitic infections
- Zool. the nonliving, thick or thin, tough outer structure secreted by the epidermis in many invertebrate organisms, as insects, crustaceans, earthworms, etc.
See cuticle in American Heritage Dictionary 4
cu·ti·cle
noun- The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates; epidermis.
- The strip of hardened skin at the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail.
- Dead or cornified epidermis.
- Zoology The noncellular, hardened or membranous protective covering of many invertebrates, such as the transparent membrane that covers annelids.
- Botany The layer of cutin covering the epidermis of the aerial parts of plants.
Origin: Latin cutīcula, diminutive of cutis, skin; see (s)keu- in Indo-European roots.
Related Forms:
- cuticular cu·ticˈu·lar (-tĭkˈyə-lər) adjective
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