Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A small brush with firm bristles used for scrubbing the hands and cleaning the fingernails and toenails.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A small brush for cleaning the finger-nails.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A brush for cleaning the nails.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a small brush, with firm bristles, used to clean the fingernails or to scrub the hands

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a brush used to clean a person's fingernails

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Indeed, while Victorians bathed regularly and believed in fresh air, they generally had only one toothbrush per household; the family toothbrush, if you will, in much the same way that families now have one nailbrush, or one shoe-polishing kit.

    Archive 2010-03-01 Ah Yuan // wingstodust 2010

  • Indeed, while Victorians bathed regularly and believed in fresh air, they generally had only one toothbrush per household; the family toothbrush, if you will, in much the same way that families now have one nailbrush, or one shoe-polishing kit.

    Spotlighting Y.S. Lee's epic blog tour of awesome Ah Yuan // wingstodust 2010

  • His wiry, bony hands ignore a nailbrush and the luxury of lemon.

    A Daughter of Eve 2007

  • Or stolen the missing nailbrush in the upstairs loo? '

    Rumpole and the Reign of Terror Mortimer, John 2006

  • In the soft light his hands glow pink from the half-hour hot-water-and-nailbrush treatment he performs as part of his evening toilette.

    The Gentleman Grafter Kaplan, Howard 2006

  • In the soft light his hands glow pink from the half-hour hot-water-and-nailbrush treatment he performs as part of his evening toilette.

    The Gentleman Grafter Kaplan, Howard 2006

  • Clive returned from the washroom where he'd spent a quarter of an hour scraping at the coal-dust with the nailbrush.

    Frost at Christmas Wingfield, R. D. 1984

  • To keep them clean, the nailbrush and soap and water should be used once or oftener daily, as circumstances demand.

    The Ladies Book of Useful Information Compiled from many sources Anonymous

  • Occasionally a little pumice stone, in impalpable powder, or powdered cuttlefish bone, putty powder (polisher's peroxide of tin), may be used along with water and a piece of wash-leather, flannel, or the nailbrush, for the same purpose.

    The Ladies Book of Useful Information Compiled from many sources Anonymous

  • The nails should have a vigorous rubbing with a good nailbrush in the morning before your meals and before you go to bed at night.

    The Complete Bachelor Manners for Men Walter Germain

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