Onychology
/ˌɒnɪˈkɒlədʒi/noun
The study of nails, especially human fingernails and toenails.
Did you know?Onychology is built from Greek onyx/onychos, a word for a nail or claw, a root that also survives in scientific terms like onyx and onychophagia, showing how ancient body-language became modern terminology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄνυξ (ónyx), ὀνύχος (onýkhos)
“nail, claw, talon”
Late Greek
Greek
-λογία (-logía)
“study, discourse”
Modern Scientific Latin
Latin
onychologia
“study of nails”
19th Century
English
onychology
“the scientific study of nails”
Modern English
English
onychology
“the study of nails”
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