ALKEN'NA or ALHEN'NA, noun Egyptian privet, a species of Lawsonia. The pulverized leaves of this plant are much used by the eastern nations for staining their nails yellow. The powder, being wet, forms a paste, which is bound on the nails for a night, and the color thus given will last several weeks.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI