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comb

n. · v.
US //ˈkoʊm// UK //kˈəʊm// comb
  1. 1 hair tool (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a flat piece of plastic or metal with a row of thin teeth, used to make your hair tidy.

    a toothed implement used for grooming, smoothing, or arranging hair.

    Example

    He took a small comb out of his pocket to fix his hair before the photo.

    Example

    The stylist used a fine-toothed comb to ensure the parting was perfectly straight before applying the hairspray.
    • hairbrush
  2. 2 bird's crest (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the red, fleshy part on top of the head of a chicken or similar bird.

    the fleshy, serrated crest on the head of domestic fowl, particularly prominent in roosters.

    Example

    The rooster had a bright red comb that stood up tall on its head.

    Example

    Veterinary inspection of the flock revealed that several birds had pale combs, a common clinical sign of underlying respiratory distress.
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  1. 3 honeycomb (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the structure of wax cells made by bees to store their honey.

    a structure of hexagonal wax cells produced by honeybees for the storage of larvae, honey, and pollen.

    Example

    The beekeeper carefully removed a comb dripping with fresh honey from the hive.

    Example

    The intricate geometry of the wax comb allows bees to store the maximum amount of honey using the minimum amount of structural material.
  2. 4 to tidy hair (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to pull a comb through your hair to make it neat.

    to arrange or untangle hair using a toothed implement. Transitive, requiring a direct object.

    Example

    She spent ten minutes trying to comb the knots out of her daughter's long hair.

    Example

    He stood before the mirror, carefully combing his hair to conceal the thinning patches at his temples.
  3. 5 to search thoroughly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to search a place or a group of things very carefully to find something.

    to search a place or a collection of data exhaustively and systematically.

    Example

    The police had to comb the entire forest to find the missing keys.

    Example

    Investigators had to comb through thousands of digital records to identify the source of the security breach.
Etymology 1

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)).

Etymology 2

From combination.

Idioms2 entries

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