Meanings
nounonychophagist (plural onychophagists)
plural onychophagists
- rareA person who bites his or her fingernails.
Origin
From onychophagy + -ist = onycho- + -phag(y) + -ist, from Ancient Greek ὀνυχο- (onuch), combining form of ὄνυξ (ónux, “claw, nail”) + -φαγος (-phagos, “eater”), from ἐφαγόν (ephagón, “I ate”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
onychophagist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onychophagist
MLA
“onychophagist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onychophagist. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “onychophagist,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onychophagist.
Source: onychophagist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.