comb

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act of drawing a comb through hair

   Their tangled hair definitely needed a comb.

2. 2
   verb

   to smoothen and neaten with or as with a comb

   comb your hair before dinner

3. 3
   verb

   to search thoroughly

   They combed the area for the missing child

4. 4
   verb

   to straighten with a comb

   comb your hair

5. 5
   noun

   A toothed implement:

   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;[…].

6. 6
   noun

   A crest:

   I also obtained here a specimen of the rare green jungle-fowl (Gallus furcatus), whose back and neck are beautifully scaled with bronzy feathers, and whose smooth-edged oval comb is of a violet purple colour, changing to green at the base.

7. 7
   noun

   A structure of hexagon cells made by bees for storing honey; honeycomb.

   The combs of the wild bees are found on overhanging precipices, and the only means by which they can be reached is to descend from above on narrow cane ladders just wide enough for a man’s foot, and often 300 feet to 400 feet long.

8. 8
   noun

   An old English measure of corn equal to the half quarter.

   But the comb or half quarter is very general in the Eastern counties, particularly in Norfolk.

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)).