cuticle

/ˈkjudəkəl/

/ˈkjutɪkəl/

Other forms: cuticles

Definitions of cuticle

1. noun

   hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
   synonyms: carapace, shell, shield

   types:

   cuticula

   the outer body wall of an insect

   type of:

   scute

   large bony or horny plate as on an armadillo or turtle or the underside of a snake
2. noun

   the outer layer of the skin covering the exterior body surface of vertebrates
   synonyms: epidermis

   types:

   mantle, pallium

   (zoology) a protective layer of epidermis in mollusks or brachiopods that secretes a substance forming the shell

   type of:

   stratum

   one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock)
3. noun

   the dead skin at the base of a fingernail or toenail
   type of:

   cutis, skin, tegument

   a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch