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Webster 1913 Edition

Comb

Comb

(kōm; 110)
,
Noun.
[AS.
camb
; akin to Sw., Dan., & D.
kam
, Icel.
kambr
, G.
kamm
, Gr. [GREEK] a grinder tooth, Skr.
jambha
tooth.]
1.
An instrument with teeth, for straightening, cleansing, and adjusting the hair, or for keeping it in place.
2.
An instrument for currying hairy animals, or cleansing and smoothing their coats; a currycomb.
3.
(Manuf. & Mech.)
(a)
A toothed instrument used for separating and cleansing wool, flax, hair, etc.
(b)
The serrated vibratory doffing knife of a carding machine.
(c)
A former, commonly cone-shaped, used in hat manufacturing for hardening the soft fiber into a bat.
(d)
A tool with teeth, used for chasing screws on work in a lathe; a chaser.
(e)
The notched scale of a wire micrometer.
(f)
The collector of an electrical machine, usually resembling a comb.
4.
(Zool.)
(a)
The naked fleshy crest or caruncle on the upper part of the bill or hood of a cock or other bird. It is usually red.
(b)
One of a pair of peculiar organs on the base of the abdomen of scorpions.
5.
The curling crest of a wave.
6.
The waxen framework forming the walls of the cells in which bees store their honey, eggs, etc.; honeycomb.
“A comb of honey.”
Wyclif.
When the bee doth leave her
comb
.
Shakespeare
7.
The thumbpiece of the hammer of a gunlock, by which it may be cocked.

Comb

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Combed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Combing
.]
To disentangle, cleanse, or adjust, with a comb; to lay smooth and straight with, or as with, a comb;
as, to
comb
hair or wool
. See under
Combing
.
Comb
down his hair; look, look! it stands upright.
Shakespeare

Comb

,
Verb.
I.
[See
Comb
,
Noun.
, 5.]
(Naut.)
To roll over, as the top or crest of a wave; to break with a white foam, as waves.

Comb

,
Noun.
A dry measure. See
Coomb
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Comb

COMB

,
Noun.
A valley between hills or mountains.

COMB

,
Noun.
b silent.
1.
An instrument, with teeth, for separating, cleansing and adjusting hair, wool, or flax. Also, an instrument of horn or shell, for keeping the hair in its place when dressed.
2.
The crest, caruncle or red fleshy tuft, growing on a cocks head; so called from its indentures which resemble the teeth of a comb.
3.
The substance in which bees lodge their honey, in small hexagonal cells.
4.
A dry measure of four bushels.

COMB

,
Verb.
T.
To separate, disentangle, cleanse, and adjust with a comb, as to comb hair; or to separate, cleanse and lay smooth and straight, as to comb wool.

COMB

,
Verb.
I.
In the language of seamen, to roll over, as the top of a wave; or to break with a white foam.

Definition 2024

comb

comb

See also: ċomb and comb.

English

Noun

comb ‎(plural combs)

A comb for the hair.
  1. A toothed implement for grooming the hair or (formerly) for keeping it in place.
    • 1977, Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, Part II, chapter4:
      There was also hairdressing: hairdressing, too, really was hairdressing in those times — no running a comb through it and that was that. It was curled, frizzed, waved, put in curlers overnight, waved with hot tongs; […].
  2. A machine used in separating choice cotton fibers from worsted cloth fibers.
  3. A fleshy growth on the top of the head of some birds and reptiles; crest.
  4. A structure of hexagon cells made by bees for storing honey; honeycomb.
  5. An old English measure of corn equal to the half quarter.
  6. The top part of a gun’s stock.
  7. The toothed plate at the top and bottom of an escalator that prevents objects getting trapped between the moving stairs and fixed landings.
  8. (music) The main body of a harmonica containing the air chambers and to which the reed plates are attached.
  9. A former, commonly cone-shaped, used in hat manufacturing for hardening soft fibre.
  10. A toothed tool used for chasing screws on work in a lathe; a chaser.
  11. The notched scale of a wire micrometer.
  12. The collector of an electrical machine, usually resembling a comb.
  13. One of a pair of peculiar organs on the base of the abdomen in scorpions.
  14. The curling crest of a wave; a comber.
  15. A toothed plate used for creating wells in agar gels for electrophoresis.
  16. (weaving) A toothed wooden pick used to push the weft thread tightly against the previous pass of thread to create a tight weave.

Synonyms

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Coordinate terms

Translations

Verb

comb ‎(third-person singular simple present combs, present participle combing, simple past and past participle combed)

  1. (transitive, especially of hair or fur) To groom with a toothed implement; chiefly with a comb.
    I need to comb my hair before we leave the house‎
  2. (transitive) To separate choice cotton fibers from worsted cloth fibers.
  3. (transitive) To search thoroughly as if raking over an area with a comb.
    Police combed the field for evidence after the assault‎
  4. (nautical, intransitive) To roll over, as the top or crest of a wave; to break with a white foam, as waves.

Translations

Noun

comb ‎(plural combs)

  1. (abbreviation) Combination.

Anagrams

Hungarian

Etymology

Unknown origin.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈt͡somb]
  • Hyphenation: comb

Noun

comb ‎(plural combok)

  1. thigh

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative comb combok
accusative combot combokat
dative combnak comboknak
instrumental combbal combokkal
causal-final combért combokért
translative combbá combokká
terminative combig combokig
essive-formal combként combokként
essive-modal — —
inessive combban combokban
superessive combon combokon
adessive combnál comboknál
illative combba combokba
sublative combra combokra
allative combhoz combokhoz
elative combból combokból
delative combról combokról
ablative combtól comboktól
Possessive forms of comb
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. combom combjaim
2nd person sing. combod combjaid
3rd person sing. combja combjai
1st person plural combunk combjaink
2nd person plural combotok combjaitok
3rd person plural combjuk combjaik

Derived terms

Etymology

From Middle English comb, from Old English camb ‎(“comb”), from Proto-Germanic *kambaz ‎(“comb”) (compare Saterland Frisian Koum, Swedish/Dutch kam, German Kamm), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos ‎(“tooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰ- ‎(“to pierce, gnaw through”) (compare Tocharian B keme, Lithuanian žam̃bas ‎(“sharp edge”), Old Church Slavonic зѫбъ ‎(zǫbŭ), Albanian dhëmb, Ancient Greek γομφίος ‎(gomphíos, “backtooth, molar”), Sanskrit जम्भ ‎(jambha)).

Pronunciation

Noun and verb
Abbreviation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /kɒmb/

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