| Lunula | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Fingernail_label_(enwiki).jpg) The lunula is the white crescent-shaped area at the base of a nail. | |
| Details | |
| Part of | Fingernail or toenail |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | lunula |
| TA98 | A16.0.01.005 |
| TA2 | 7067 |
| TH | H3.12.00.3.02006 |
| FMA | 77858 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The lunula (pl.: lunulae; from Latin 'little moon') is the crescent-shaped whitish area of the bed of a fingernail or toenail.
In humans, it appears by week 14[1] of gestation, and has a primary structural role in defining the free edge of the distal nail plate (the part of the nail that grows outward).
- ^ Cohen, P. R. (June 1996). "The lunula". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 34 (6): 943–953, quiz 954–956. doi:10.1016/s0190-9622(96)90269-8. ISSN 0190-9622. PMID 8647987.