tagliaunghie
/taʎ.ʎaˈun.ɡje/masculine
The Italian word for nail clippers is tagliaunghie.
tagliaunghie is a masculine noun used to refer to the tool used for trimming nails.
Meaning: nail trimmer (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound consisting of the verb tagliare (to cut) and unghie (nails), literally meaning 'nail cutter'.
How does it change in a sentence?
tagliaunghie is an invariable noun, which means its form remains the same whether you are referring to one pair of clippers or multiple pairs.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /taʎ.ʎaˈun.ɡje/.
Did you know?
- The verb root taglia in tagliaunghie comes from the same source as the English word 'tally', which originally referred to making marks or cuts to keep count.
- The verb root taglia is used in many Italian idioms, such as tagliare la testa al toro, which means to settle a matter decisively, similar to 'cutting the Gordian knot'.
- While tagliaunghie describes the tool, the Italian language distinguishes between the nails of humans unghie and the claws of animals artigli, a distinction English rarely makes in common speech.
Examples in context
- Sono tagliaunghie.They're nail clippers.This sentence is useful for identifying the object as tagliaunghie.Tatoeba #12966026 by Guybrush88, translation #10969026 by helloroto
- Ho dimenticato il tagliaunghie in bagno.I forgot the nail clippers in the bathroom.
Example conversation
Giulia is looking for something in her travel bag.
- FrancescoHai visto il mio tagliaunghie?Have you seen my nail clippers?
- GiuliaNo, Francesco, non l'ho visto.No, Francesco, I haven't seen them.
- FrancescoForse è nella borsa di Giulia.Maybe it is in Giulia's bag.
- GiuliaControlla subito, deve essere lì.Check immediately, it must be there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nail clippers” translations and entries tagliaunghie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tagliaunghie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
