English Explanatory Dictionary

comb

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A toothed implement:
  2. A toothed implement for grooming the hair or (formerly) for keeping it in place.
  3. A machine used in separating choice cotton fibers from worsted cloth fibers.
  4. The toothed plate at the top and bottom of an escalator that prevents objects getting trapped between the moving stairs and fixed landings.
  5. A toothed tool used for chasing screws on work in a lathe; a chaser.
  6. The notched scale of a wire micrometer.
  7. The collector of an electrical machine, usually resembling a comb.
  8. A toothed plate used for creating wells in agar gels for electrophoresis.
  9. A toothed wooden pick used to push the weft thread tightly against the previous pass of thread to create a tight weave.
  10. One of a pair of peculiar organs on the base of the abdomen in scorpions, with which they comb substrate.
  11. A ctene.
  12. A crest:
verb
  1. Especially of hair or fur, to groom with a toothed implement, especially a comb.
  2. To separate choice cotton fibers from worsted cloth fibers.
  3. To search thoroughly as if raking over an area with a comb.
  4. To roll over, as the top or crest of a wave; to break with a white foam, as waves.
  5. To turn a vessel parallel to (the track of) (a torpedo) so as to reduce one's size as a target.
noun
  1. Abbreviation of combination.
noun
  1. Alternative form of combe.
noun
  1. Alternative form of coomb.

Pronunciation

kōm /kəʊm/ /koʊm/ en-us-comb.ogg /kɒmb/ /kuːm/

Word forms

comb combs combing combed

Etymology

From Middle English comb, from Old English camb (“comb”), from Proto-West Germanic *kamb, from Proto-Germanic *kambaz (“comb”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“tooth”), a doublet of cam. The verb is derived from the noun and displaced the older verb kemb. Cognates Compare Saterland Frisian Koum, Swedish/Dutch kam, Danish kam, Norwegian kam, German Kamm; also Tocharian B keme, Lithuanian žam̃bas (“sharp edge”), Old Church Slavonic зѫбъ (zǫbŭ), Albanian dhëmb, Ancient Greek γομφίος (gomphíos, “backtooth, molar”), Sanskrit जम्भ (jambha)).

Synonyms

cockscomb crest combo

Related words

kemb kempt unkempt comb. nov.

Derived words

Afro comb beard comb bluecomb carding-comb coaming cock's comb test comb-brush comb ceramic comb-crested jacana comb filter combfish comb-footed spider combful comb-honey combjelly comb jelly comb-jelly comb joint combless comblike combmaker combmaking comb-out combover comb-over comb test combwise comby currycomb curry-comb curry comb cut someone's comb detection comb Dirac comb drop at comb fine-tooth comb fine-toothed comb fine-tooth comb test flaxcomb fungus comb horse comb horse-comb hot comb lady's comb mane-comb microcomb nit comb pea comb pintail comb polycomb pressing comb razor comb roof comb rose comb sex comb toothcomb tooth comb tooth-comb two bald men fighting over a comb Venus comb

Translations

Afrikaans: kam Akan: afe Albanian: krehër Southern Altai: тарак Amharic: ማበጠሪያ Arabic: مُشْط Arabic: مِشْط Arabic: مِمْشَط Arabic: مشط Arabic: مُشط Arabic: مشطة Armenian: սանր Aromanian: cheaptini Aromanian: chiaptini Aromanian: cheaptine Aromanian: chiaptine Assamese: ফণি Assamese: কাঁকৈ Asturian: peñe Asturian: peine Aymara: sanu Azerbaijani: daraq Bashkir: тараҡ Basque: orrazi Belarusian: расчо́ска Belarusian: грэ́бень Belarusian: грабяне́ц Bengali: চিরুনি Bengali: কাঁকই Bengali: ফনী Bhojpuri: कंघी Central Bikol: sukray Central Bikol: hugay Breton: krib Breton: kriboù Bulgarian: гре́бен Burmese: ဘီး Buryat: һам Catalan: pinta Chakma: 𑄛𑄪𑄚𑄨 Chechen: ехк Cherokee: ᎠᎵᏔᏬᏍᏗ Chinese Cantonese: 梳 Chinese: муфу Chinese: муфур Chinese: муфузы Chinese: 捋仔 Chinese: 柴梳 Chinese: 頭梳 /头梳 Eastern Min Chinese: 頭梳 /头梳 Gan Chinese: 梳子 Hakka Chinese: 梳仔 Chinese Mandarin: 梳子 Chinese Mandarin: 篦 Chinese Mandarin: 木梳 Northern Min Chinese: 頭梳 /头梳 Wu Chinese: 木梳 East Circassian: мажьэ West Circassian: шъхьэмажьэ Czech: hřeben Dalmatian: piacno Danish: kam Dongxiang: san
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