Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cuticle” come from?

Cuticle comes from Middle French cuticule, from Latin cuticula, diminutive of cutis meaning skin, from Proto-Indo-European kuH-t-.

cuticle (English): The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates;...

Definitions

  1. The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates;...

Ancestry of “cuticle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchcuticule—
2Latincutīcula—
3Latincutisliving skin; rind, surface; hide, leather
4Proto-Indo-EuropeankuH-t-—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kewH-to cover, bedeck; cover

Words derived from “cuticle”

  • epicuticle
  • endocuticle
  • exocuticle
  • procuticle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewH- →