[ˈkjuːtɪkl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the dead skin at the base of a fingernail or toenail
(e.g: you've been gnawing at your cuticles)

- the outer cellular layer of a hair
(e.g: the cuticle is the hair's protective shield)

- a protective and waxy or hard layer covering the epidermis of a plant, invertebrate, or shell
(e.g: the body is covered with a non-living cuticle of chitin)


Phrases:

Origin:
late 15th century (denoting a membrane of the body): from Latin cuticula, diminutive of cutis ‘skin’