Manicurists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Professionals who trim, shape, polish and care for the fingernails and hands of their clients
2. Skilled practitioners whose work is tending to fingernails, including filing, buffing and applying polish
3. Those who make a living grooming fingers and nails for clients in salons or spas

Etymology: "Manicurist" is built from "manicure" plus the agent suffix "-ist," meaning a person who practises a particular craft. The first half comes from Latin "manus," meaning "hand," and "cura," meaning "care," so "manicure" literally means hand care. Its earlier borrowing into English passed through French, which is why the French form "manucure" sits in its ancestry. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the word it is attached to. It descends from Greek "-istēs," used for people who practise an art or trade, and reached English through Latin "-ista" and Old French "-iste." That is the same ending found in words such as "dentist" and "pianist," so "manicurist" joins a large family of practitioner nouns built on the same pattern. The plural "manicurists" is simply the regular plural of "manicurist," so its history is that of the singular form.

Synonyms: nail technician, nail artist