Etymology Map
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Hangnail

2 stages from Old English to English.

Today it means a piece of torn skin at the root of a fingernail

Where does the word "hangnail" come from? It comes from Old English angnægl, adopted directly into English (1670s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
angnægl
Old English · medieval
"painful corn"
ang- 'painful, tight' + nægl, the 'nail' being a corn or hard growth on the foot
2
Stage 2 of 2
hangnail
English · 1670s
"torn skin by a fingernail"
reshaped as if the skin 'hangs' from the fingernail, and moved from the foot to the finger
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Read the full story

Hangnail’s story begins in Old English: angnægl meant “painful corn.” Ang- 'painful, tight' + nægl, the 'nail' being a corn or hard growth on the foot. It reached English by 1670s as hangnail. Reshaped as if the skin 'hangs' from the fingernail, and moved from the foot to the finger. Today, hangnail means a piece of torn skin at the root of a fingernail.