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nail

  [neyl]
–noun
1. a slender, typically rod-shaped rigid piece of metal, usually in any of numerous standard lengths from a fraction of an inch to several inches and having one end pointed and the other enlarged and flattened, for hammering into or through wood, other building materials, etc., as used in building, in fastening, or in holding separate pieces together.
2. a thin, horny plate, consisting of modified epidermis, growing on the upper side of the end of a finger or toe.
3. a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 2 1/4 in. (6.4 cm).
–verb (used with object)
4. to fasten with a nail or nails: to nail the cover on a box.
5. to enclose or confine (something) by nailing (often fol. by up): to nail up oranges in a crate.
6. to make fast or keep firmly in one place or position: Surprise nailed him to the spot.
7. to accomplish perfectly: the only gymnast to nail the dismount.
8. Informal.
a. to secure by prompt action; catch or seize: The police nailed him with the goods.
b. to catch (a person) in some difficulty, lie, etc.
c. to detect and expose (a lie, scandal, etc.).
9. Slang. to hit (a person): He nailed him on the chin with an uppercut in the first round.
10. to focus intently on an object or subject: She kept her eyes nailed on the suspicious customer.
11. Obsolete. to stud with or as if with nails.
—Verb phrase
12. nail down, to make final; settle once and for all: Signing the contract will nail down our agreement.
—Idioms
13. hit the nail on the head, to say or do exactly the right thing; be accurate or correct: Your analysis really hit the nail on the head.
14. nail in someone's or something's coffin, something that hastens the demise or failure of a person or thing: Every moment's delay is another nail in his coffin.
15. on the nail, Informal.
a. of present interest; under discussion.
b. without delay; on the spot; at once: He was offered a job on the nail.
Use nail in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME nail(l), nayl(l), OE nægl, c. OFris neil, OS, OHG nagal, D nagel, G Nagel, ON nagl fingernail, all < Gmc *naglaz; akin as deriv. to Lith nãgas, nagà hoof, OPruss nage foot, OCS noga leg, foot (Serbo-Croatian nòga, Czech noha, Russ nogá; prob. orig. jocular reference to the foot as a hoof), OCS nogŭtĭ, Tocharian A maku, B mekwa fingernail, claw, all < North European IE *Honogwh-; further akin to OIr ingen, Welsh ewin, Breton ivin < Celtic *ṇgwhīnā, L unguis < Italo-Celtic *Hongwhi-; Gk ónyx, s. onych-, Armenian ełungn < *Honogwh-; (v.) ME nail(l)(e), nayl(l)e(n), OE næglian, c. OS neglian, OHG negilen, ON negla < Gmc *nagl-janan; cf. Goth ganagljan

Related forms:
nailless, adjective
naillike, adjective

Synonyms:
5. fix, secure, pin, fasten.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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nail   (nāl)   


(click for larger image in new window)
n.  

  1. A slim, pointed piece of metal hammered into material as a fastener.

    1. A fingernail or toenail.

    2. A claw or talon.

  3. Something resembling a nail in shape, sharpness, or use.

  4. A measure of length formerly used for cloth, equal to 1/16 yard (5.7 centimeters).

tr.v.   nailed, nail·ing, nails

  1. To fasten, join, or attach with or as if with a nail.

  2. To cover, enclose, or shut by fastening with nails: nail up a window.

  3. To keep fixed, motionless, or intent: Fear nailed me to my seat.

  4. Slang

    1. To stop and seize; catch: Police nailed the suspect.

    2. To detect and expose: nailed the senator in a lie; nail corruption before it gets out of control.

    3. To strike or bring down: nail a bird in flight; nail a running back.

    4. To perform successfully or have noteworthy success in: nailed the dive; nailed the exam.

  5. Slang

    1. To strike or bring down: nail a bird in flight; nail a running back.

    2. To perform successfully or have noteworthy success in: nailed the dive; nailed the exam.

  6. Baseball To put out (a base runner).

Phrasal Verb(s):
nail down

  1. To discover or establish conclusively: nailed down the story by checking all the facts.

  2. To win: nailed down another victory in the golf tournament.

  3. To specify or fix: We were finally able to nail down a meeting time.


[Middle English, from Old English nægl, fingernail, toenail; see nogh- in Indo-European roots.]
nail'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
nail

  1. tv.
    to arrest someone. (See also nailed.) : The cops nailed him right in his own doorway.

  2. Go to coffin nail. :
  3. tv.
    to identify someone. : The officer nailed Freddy, thanks to the description the victim provided.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

nail 
O.E. negel "metal pin," nægl "fingernail (O.E. handnægl), toenail," from P.Gmc. *naglaz (cf. O.H.G. nagel, O.Fris. neil, M.Du. naghel, Ger. Nagel "fingernail, small metal spike"), from PIE base *(o)nogh "nail" (cf. Gk. onyx, L. unguis "nail, claw," O.C.S. noga "foot," Lith. naga "hoof," O.C.S. noguti "nail, claw," Lith. nagutis "fingernail," O.Ir. ingen, O.Welsh eguin "nail, claw"). The "fingernail" sense seems to be the original one. The verb is O.E. næglian, from P.Gmc. *ganaglijanan. Meaning "to catch, seize" is first recorded 1766. To bite one's nails as a sign of anxiety is attested from 1577. To hit the nail on the head "say or do just the right thing" is first recorded 1529.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: nail
Pronunciation: 'nA(&)l
Function: noun
1 : a horny sheath of thickened and condensed epithelial stratum lucidum that grows outfrom a vascular matrix of dermis and protects the upper surface of the end of each finger and toe of humans and most other primates and that is strictly homologous with the hoof or claw of othermammals from which it differs chiefly in shape and size called also nail plate
2 : a structure (as a claw) that terminates a digit and corresponds to a nail
3 : a rod (as of metal) used to fix the parts of a broken bone in normal relation nail>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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nail (nāl)
n.

  1. A fingernail or toenail.

  2. A slender rod used in operations to fasten together the divided extremities of a broken bone.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Bible Dictionary

Nail

for fastening. (1.) Hebrew yathed, "piercing," a peg or nail of any material (Ezek. 15:3), more especially a tent-peg (Ex. 27:19; 35:18; 38:20), with one of which Jael (q.v.) pierced the temples of Sisera (Judg. 4:21, 22). This word is also used metaphorically (Zech. 10:4) for a prince or counsellor, just as "the battle-bow" represents a warrior. (2.) Masmer, a "point," the usual word for a nail. The words of the wise are compared to "nails fastened by the masters of assemblies" (Eccl. 12:11, A.V.). The Revised Version reads, "as nails well fastened are the words of the masters," etc. Others (as Plumptre) read, "as nails fastened are the masters of assemblies" (comp. Isa. 22:23; Ezra 9:8). David prepared nails for the temple (1 Chr. 22:3; 2 Chr. 3:9). The nails by which our Lord was fixed to the cross are mentioned (John 20:25; Col. 2:14). Nail of the finger (Heb. tsipporen, "scraping"). To "pare the nails" is in Deut. 21:12 (marg., "make," or "dress," or "suffer to grow") one of the signs of purification, separation from former heathenism (comp. Lev. 14:8; Num. 8:7). In Jer. 17:1 this word is rendered "point."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

nail

In addition to the idioms beginning with nail, also see bite one's nails; fight tooth and nail; hard as nails; hit the bull's-eye (nail on the head); on the nail.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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