Eponychium

Thickened layer of skin at the base of the fingernails and toenails From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eponychium

In human anatomy, the eponychium is the thickened layer of skin at the base of the fingernails and toenails.[1] It can also be called the medial or proximal nail fold. Its function is to protect the area between the nail and epidermis from exposure to bacteria. The vascularization pattern is similar to that of perionychium.[2] The eponychium differs from the cuticle – the eponychium is made up of live skin cells whilst the cuticle is dead skin cells.

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Eponychium
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Nail anatomy, with eponychium labeled as "nail fold".
Thumb
Longitudinal section through nail and its nail groove (sulcus).
Details
Identifiers
Latineponychium
TA98A16.0.01.010
TA27072
FMA77859
Anatomical terminology
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In hoofed animals, the eponychium is the deciduous hoof capsule in fetuses and newborn foals, and is a part of the permanent hoof in older animals.[3]

The word eponychium comes from Greek ἐπί (epí) 'on top of' and ὀνῠ́χιον (onúkhion) 'little claw'.

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