Your cuticles are the skin at the base of each of your fingernails.
cuticle in British English
(ˈkjuːtɪkəl)
noun
1.
dead skin, esp that round the base of a fingernail or toenail
2. another name for epidermis
3.
any covering layer or membrane
4.
the protective layer, containing cutin, that covers the epidermis of higher plants
5.
the hard protective layer covering the epidermis of many invertebrates
Derived forms
cuticular (kjuːˈtɪkjʊlə)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from Latin cutīcula diminutive of cutis skin
cuticle in American English
(ˈkjutɪkəl)
noun
1.
the outer layer of the skin; epidermis
2.
hardened skin, such as accumulates at the base and sides of a fingernail
3. Botany
a delicate, waxy layer over the outer surface of the epidermis of plants: it contains cutin and protects against water loss and parasitic infections
4. Zoology
the nonliving, thick or thin, tough outer structure secreted by the epidermis in many invertebrate organisms, as insects, crustaceans, earthworms, etc.
Derived forms
cuticular (cuˈticular) (kjʊˈtɪkjələr)
adjective
Word origin
L cuticula, skin, dim. < cutis, skin < IE base *(s)keu-t-, to cover > hide2
Examples of 'cuticle' in a sentence
cuticle
The light from the cuticle of sun coming above the hills flashed from it like a mirror-signal.