Nearby Words
noun
1.
a toothed strip of plastic, hard rubber, bone, wood, or metal, used for arranging the hair, untangling it, or holding it in place.
2.
a currycomb.
3.
any comblike instrument, object, or formation.
4.
the fleshy, more or less serrated outgrowth on the head of certain gallinaceous birds, especially the domestic fowl.
5.
EXPANDsomething resembling or suggesting this, as the crest of a wave.
6.
a honeycomb, or any similar group of cells.
7.
a machine for separating choice cotton or wool fibers from noil.
8.
a comblike instrument for imparting a grainlike finish to a painted surface.
9.
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a ridge of a roof.
10.
a series of springlike prongs projecting from a spine, usually of plastic, for making a loose-leaf binding.
11.
a trowel having a notched edge for applying adhesives in setting tiles or the like.
12.
Armor. a ridge along the top of a helmet, especially of the morion.
13.
Masonry. drag (def. 30).
14.
COLLAPSEthe upper edge of the buttstock of a rifle or shotgun.
verb (used with object)
15.
to arrange or adorn (the hair) with a comb.
16.
to use (something) in the manner of a comb: She was slowly combing her fingers through her hair.
17.
to remove (anything undesirable) with or as if with a comb: She combed the snarls out of her hair. They combed the cowards from the group.
18.
to search everywhere in: He combed the files for the missing letter.
19.
EXPANDto separate (textile fibers) with a comb.
20.
to scrape with or as with a comb.
21.
COLLAPSEto sweep across; rake: High winds combed the seacoast.
:10
:09
:08
:07
:06
:05
:04
:03
:02
:01
Combing
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
verb (used without object)
22.
to roll over or break at the crest, as a wave.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English comb, camb; cognate with Old High German kamb (German Kamm), Old Norse kambr, Greek gómphos pin, peg, gomphíos molar tooth; see cam
before 900; Middle English; Old English comb, camb; cognate with Old High German kamb (German Kamm), Old Norse kambr, Greek gómphos pin, peg, gomphíos molar tooth; see cam
Related forms
comb·less, adjective
comb·less·ness, noun
un·combed, adjective
well-combed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To combing
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
comb
O.E. camb "comb," lit. "toothed object," from W.Gmc. *kambaz, from PIE *gombhos, from base *gembh- "to bite, tooth" (cf. Gk. gomphos "a molar tooth," Skt. gambha-s "tooth"). As a verb, replaced O.E. cemban, which survives in unkempt.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com
Matching Quote
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.