Definition of "nail" []

• A slim, pointed piece of metal hammered into material as a fastener. (noun)
• A fingernail or toenail. (noun)
• A claw or talon. (noun)
• Something resembling a nail in shape, sharpness, or use. (noun)
• A measure of length formerly used for cloth, equal to 1/16 yard (5.7 centimeters). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "You cannot see the softest and youngest row, or layer, of the nail cells at the base, because a fold of skin, the _nail fold_, has been doubled, or folded, over them to protect them while they are young and soft."
• "Hammering a nail is a wonderful use of the hammer, but using a hammer to cut a wire is foolish."
• "That nail is going to have a headache for some time, thanks to you."