# toenail

Pronunciation: say "TOH-nayl" /ˈtəʊˌneɪl/

## Noun

1. The thin, tough, transparent plate of keratin that covers the upper side of a toe's tip.
   - Simple: The hard, clear plate that grows over the tip of a toe.
   - _A fungal infection had turned his toenail thick and yellow._
   - _Long hikes in tight boots can bruise your toenails badly._

## Verb

2. To fasten two pieces of lumber together by driving nails or screws at an angle through both boards.
   - Simple: To join two boards by driving nails into both of them at a slanted angle.
   - _She toenailed each rafter into the ridge beam to lock the frame in place._
   - _Framers often toenail the joists where face-nailing wouldn't hold well._

## Origin

Formed from the words toe and nail.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/toenail (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).