Onychoid
/ˈɒnɪkɔɪd/noun
Resembling or shaped like a nail or claw.
Did you know?Its first element comes from Greek *onyx* / *onykh-* meaning “nail” or “claw,” a root that also appears in *onychology* and *onyx*, while the -oid ending is Greek for “form” or “resembling,” making it a precise scientific word rather than a mystical one.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
GRK
ὄνυξ (ónux), gen. ὄνυχος (ónukhos)
“nail; claw; sometimes a sharp point or talon”
Late Greek
GRK
-οειδής (-oeidḗs)
“having the form of; resembling”
19th Century
English
onychoid
“having the form or appearance of a nail or claw”
Modern English
English
onychoid
“resembling a nail or claw”