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The nail itself goes pretty far below your skin beyond the visible part. The halfmoon-shaped part you can see is where the attached part starts

That description literally makes me feel sick r/tihi ... To be clear, I have no doubt that it is metaphorically accurate but I'm not sure I could stomach the results if I were to Google it

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Finger and toe nails stay attached to the skin around them due to the fact that the nails are formed by the matrix, the base of the nail. The matrix produces cells that harden and compress to form the nail plate, which is the visible part of the nail. These cells are continually pushed forward by the matrix, and as they harden and compress, they form a strong, durable structure that is attached to the skin around the nail bed. Additionally, the nails are anchored to the skin by small, invisible fibers called laminin and collagen that act like a glue, connecting the nails to the skin.

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Boooo!

If I remember what my podiatrist told me correctly at one appointment is that the "root" of the nail grows from within the bone. It grows from the base and pushes out the end, continuously, through the skin, which adapts to how the nail grows.