Plural of cuticle; the thin layer of skin at the base of fingernails and toenails, or the waxy outer layer of plants.
From Latin 'cuticula' (small skin), diminutive of 'cutis' (skin). The word entered English in the 17th century as anatomical terminology.
Your cuticles are literally 'little skins'—the Latin diminutive form perfectly captures that they're tiny protective borders, and plants use a similar waxy version to survive.
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