anatomy
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- Open Library Publishing Platform - Basic Foot Care for RNs and RPNs - Anatomy and Physiology of the Foot and Nail
- Better Health Channel - Nails - fingernail and toenail problems
- University of Michigan Library - Deep Blue Repositories - Nail Surgery: A Review
- Thompson Rivers University - Human Biology - Nail
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Nails
- Verywell Health - Structure and Growth of Fingernails and Toenails
- MSD Manual - Professional Version - Nail Deformities and Dystrophies
- Toronto Metropolitan University Pressbooks - Introduction to Health Assessment for the Nursing Professional – Part II - Nails: Inspection and Palpation
- Frontiers - Exposure of formal and informal nail technicians to organic solvents found in nail products
- International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer Science and Technology - The Brief study on the Human Nail (PDF)
- Pressbooks - Disorders of the Nail
- University of Hawaiʻi OER - Nails, Hammers & Pneumatic Nailers
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- nail and claw - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
- nail - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
- Related Topics:
- hoof
- keratin
- claw
- subunguis
- unguis
See all related content
nail, in the anatomy of humans and other primates, horny plate that grows on the back of each finger and toe at its outer end. It corresponds to the claw, hoof, or talon of other vertebrates. The nail is a platelike, keratinous, translucent structure that consists of highly specialized epithelial cells. The nail grows from a deep groove in the dermis of the skin. All nail growth occurs at the nail’s base, where the specialized cells that make up the nail’s plate are produced; these cells are pushed forward as new cells form behind them. The nail plate is also attached to the underlying, richly vascularized nail bed, which supplies the plate with necessary nutrients. The cells at the front edge of the nail plate die and turn white as they lose contact with the nail bed. The whitish, crescent-moon-shaped part of the nail, known as the lunula, is also not attached to the underlying nail bed. The nail’s chief function is to protect the terminal portions of the toes and fingers. On the fingers, the front edge of the nail assists in the manipulation of small objects, as well as in scratching.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy.
