Onychophagy
/ˌɒnɪˈkɒfədʒi/noun
The habit or compulsion of biting one's fingernails.
Did you know?Onychophagy is built from Greek onyx, meaning “nail” or “claw,” and phagein, “to eat,” so the language frames nail-biting as a kind of self-devouring act.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄνυξ (onyx)
“nail, claw, or hoof”
Ancient Greek
Greek
φαγεῖν (phagein)
“to eat”
Late Greek / Scientific Latin
Greek/Latin
onychophagia
“nail-eating; nail-biting habit”
19th Century
English
onychophagy
“the habit of biting the fingernails”
Modern English
English
onychophagy
“nail-biting, especially as a habitual behavior”
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