Onychophagia
/ˌɒn.ɪ.kəˈfeɪ.dʒi.ə/noun
The habit of biting one's nails.
Did you know?Onychophagia is built from Greek roots that also give us words like *onyx* and *phage*, so this “nervous habit” is linguistically linked to both nails and devouring.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄνυξ (onyx), -ος / -α
“nail, claw, or hoof”
Ancient Greek
Greek
φαγεῖν (phagein)
“to eat”
Modern Scientific Greek
Greek
onychophagia
“nail-eating; nail biting”
19th Century
English
onychophagia
“a medical term for the habit of biting the nails”
Modern English
English
onychophagia
“the habit of biting one's nails”
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