Forms: 1 camb, comb, 3–7 combe, 4–5 coomb, komb(e, 5–7 come, 6 coame, comme, 6–7 (in comp.) com, 4– comb. Also β. (north. and chiefly Sc.) 3 camb, 4 cayme, 4–5 cambe, 4–6 kambe, 5–9 came, 6 keme, 6–9 kame, 9 kembe, kaim. [A common Teut. sb.: OE. cǫmb, camb = OS. camb, (MDu. cam(m), Du. kam), OHG. chamb, (MHG. kam(m), kamp(b), Ger. kamm, ON. kambr (Sw., Da. kam):—OTeut. *kambo-z, pre-Teutonic form *gombho-s: cf. Gr. γόμφος ‘pin,’ perh. orig. ‘tooth,’ Skr. gambha-s tooth, OSlav. ząbŭ (:—gambo-) tooth.]
1. A strip of wood, bone, horn, metal, etc., with indentations forming a series of teeth, or with teeth inserted, along one or both edges; used for disentangling, cleaning, and arranging the hair, and for like purposes; also, in ornamental forms, worn by women to keep the hair in place.
a. 700. Epinal Gloss., 825. Pecten, camb.
c. 1330. Florice & Bl. (1857), 552. The thridde [maiden] scholde bringge comb and mirour To seruen him with gret honour.
c. 1384. Chaucer, H. Fame, I. 136. Her combe to kembe her hed.
1463. Bury Wills (Camden Soc.), 15. My tablees of ivory with the combe and a peyre spectaclys.
1538. Starkey, England, I. iii. 94. Bedys, combys, gyrdylls and knyfys.
1660. Jer. Taylor, Duct. Dubit., III. ii. Rule 5 Q. 4. Clemens Alexandrinus is as severe against old men that with black lead combes put a lie upon their heads.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 113, ¶ 8. Her mistress had turned her out at night for breaking six teeth in a tortoise-shell comb.
1803. Jane Porter, Thaddeus, xxx. Marshall having fixed the last pearl-comb in her mistress’s beautiful hair.
1851. D. Wilson, Preh. Ann. (1863), I. II. vi. 441. Found … a rude fibula, and a comb of bronze.
β. c. 1200. Ormin, 6340. Wiþþutenn cnif & shæþe, & camb.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 3351. Craftely with a cambe cho kembede myne heuede.
1561. Hollybush, Hom. Apoth., 2. Anoynte therewyth a kambe and kembe thy head.
1579. in T. Thomson, Invent. (1815), 282 (Jam.). Ane kais of kamys of grene velvot.
a. 1800. Laird o’ Logie, viii. (in Scott, Border Minstr.). She has stown the king’s redding kaim.
1826. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 185. Growin lasses sittin … wi’ cames sae trig in their golden hair.
1855. Whitby Gloss., Keeam or Kaim, a comb.
fig. 1872. Black, Adv. Phaeton, iv. 45. Faint streaks of sunshine descend like a shimmering comb upon the gloomy landscape. Ibid. (1875), Three Feathers, xv. A break appeared in the clouds, and a vast comb of gold shot shining down.
b. An instrument for currying horses, consisting of a series of such strips of metal, with short teeth, placed parallel in a frame. Usually horse comb, CURRY-COMB.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 88. Combe of curraynge, or horse combe, strigilis.
1555. Eden, Decades W. Ind., III. VII. (Arb.), 169. Almohaza, that is a horse combe.
1859. F. Griffiths, Artil. Man. (1862), 221. Currycomb and brush, mane-comb.
c. humorously. † Alman comb: see quot. Crab-tree comb: a cudgel (as applied to the head). Obs. (Cf. COMB v. 3.)
1593. Bacchus Bountie, in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), II. 269. Which haue had their heads smoothed well with a crabtree combe.
1653. Urquhart, Rab., I. xxi. He combed his head with an Alman comb, which is the four fingers and thumb.
2. transf. Applied, chiefly in technical use, to various things resembling a comb in function, structure, or appearance.
(a) An instrument with two or three rows of iron teeth of different lengths, used in dressing wool for separating and arranging the fibers; a card; a similar instrument used in dressing flax. Also a toothed instrument in a carding-machine for drawing the fleece or cotton off the cards; a comber. Also a name sometimes given to the reed used in weaving.
† (b) A toothed instrument used to puncture. Obs.
(c) A steel tool with projecting teeth, used for cutting the thread of a screw on work in the lathe.
(d) A toothed instrument used by house-painters in graining: also a tool with wire teeth used in making marbled papers.
(e) ‘The notched scale of a wire-micrometer’ (Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk.).
(f) ‘The window stool of a casement. Glou.’ (Grose, Prov. Gloss., 1787).
(g) Electr. A comb-like row of brass points connected with the prime conductor of an electrical machine for collecting the electricity from the plate.
c. 1290. Lives Saints (Laud MS. 1887), 99. Also man draweth with combes wolle, hire tetes heo to-drowe.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVII. xviii. (Tollem. MS.). Yf þe rynde of þe stocke is smote with yren combes [ferreis ungulis], þan droppeþ oute þerof noble opobalsamum.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., I. (1586), 39. Some use … to carde of the knoppes [of flax] with an iron Combe.
1607. Topsell, Serpents (1653), 787. Without all Weavers combes.
1724. Ramsay, Tea-t. Misc. (1733), I. 37. Lassie, lend me your braw hemp heckle, And I’ll lend you my thripling kame.
1757. Dyer, Fleece, III. (R.). Behold the fleece beneath the spiky comb Drop its long locks, or from the mingling card, Spread in soft flakes.
1837. Whittock, Bk. Trades (1842), 483. (Wool comber) He then proceeds to place the wool on one of his combs, the steel brooches of which are triple, and are constantly heated in a charcoal pot.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Comb … used in combing long-stapled wool for worsted goods. The combs are used in pairs. Short-stapled wool is carded.
1876. Gwilt, Archit., II. iii. 697. Giving the painted work a coat in oil of a brownish tone … this is then scratched over by combs of bone, with blunt points.
1871. Watts, Dict. Chem. (1879), VI. 551. This force, acting successively upon each portion of the rotating plate as it passes between the paper and the points of the collecting comb, will … cause positive electricity to escape from the plate into the points…. In consequence of this action, the comb of the second conductor … becomes positively electrified.
3. Applied to natural formations resembling a comb, e.g., a comb-like set of points in a tooth; the comb-like nail or claw of the middle toe of certain birds, as the goatsucker and heron, etc.
1873–8. Mivart, Elem. Anat., 275. In notched incisors, and especially in the comb-like ones of the Flying Lemur … a branch of the pulp-cavity ascends each process of the ‘comb.’
spec. † a. The part of the hand between the wrist and the fingers; the metacarpus. Obs.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. xxviii. (1495), 138. Pecten, the combe … is composyd of foure bones.
b. Zool. (pl.) The pair of abdominal appendages in Scorpions; analogous structures in other lower animals.
1834. McMurtrie, Cuvier’s Anim. Kingd., 257. A branchial comb, composed of numerous loose and tabular-like lamellæ.
1861. Hulme, trans. Moquin-Tandon, II. V. ii. 270. Beneath the body [in Scorpions] … are two peculiar appendages called the ‘combs.’ These organs consist of a stem … and a series of teeth.
1888. Rolleston & Jackson, Anim. Life, 751. ‘Tactile combs’ situated in pairs at the bases of the tentacles [in certain Hydrozoa].
c. Sometimes used as an equivalent of pecten, in the sense of the marsupium or processus falciformis, a pigmented vascular process which projects into the jelly-like vitreous humour in the eyes of Birds, many Reptiles, and Fishes.
d. Min. A comb-like structure found in mineral veins which are made up of plates or layers parallel to their walls: see quots.
1862. Dana, Man. Geol. (ed. 3), 114. A comb is one of the layers in a banded vein—so called especially when its surface is more or less set with crystals.
1881. Raymond, Mining Gloss., Comb, The place, in a fissure which has been filled by successive depositions of mineral on the walls, where the two sets of layers thus deposited approach most nearly or meet, closing the fissure and exhibiting either a drusy central cavity, or an interlocking of crystals.
1885. Geikie, Text-bk. Geol., 585. [see COMBY].
4. esp. The red fleshy crest or caruncle on the head of the domestic fowl, attaining special development in the male bird: so called from its indented or serrated form. (Cf. COCK’S-COMB.)
a. 1000. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 215/34. Cristas, i. comas, combas on fugele.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Nun’s Pr. T., 39. His combe was redder þan þe fyne coral.
c. 1430. Henryson, Mor. Fab., 17. Your beeke, your breast, your Kekil and your Came.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., IV. (1586), 157 b. Let … your Henne be of a good colour … with a straight redde and dubble comme. Ibid., IV. 161 b. If they be right Capons, their Coames becometh pale.
1693. Evelyn, De la Quint. Compl. Gard., 50. The Heads of some sorts of Birds are Adorned with Tufts and Combs.
a. 1835. J. M. Wilson, Tales of Borders (1857), I. 68. The kaim of chanticleer.
1859. Darwin, Orig. Spec., v. (1873), 117. A large tuft of feathers on the head is generally accompanied by a diminished comb.
b. The similar fleshy outgrowth round or (generally) over each eye in some gallinaceous birds.
c. transf. A crest like that of a cock (attributed to some serpents).
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxxii. 143. Þare er also nedderes with cambez on þaire heeds, as it ware a cokk.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1673), 358. The mane of the Lion, and the comb of the male Serpent.
1661. Lovell, Hist. Anim. & Min., Introd. Amongst serpents … some have combs.
d. Applied to a crest or ridge of hair.
1869. Blackmore, Lorna D., iii. His beard—of a bright red colour … that comb of hair had been a subject of some wonder to me.
1884. A. Gregory, in Fortn. Rev., March, 379. The Shillooks … arrange the hair in a comb or crest, high upon the head.
5. From sense 4 come the phrases: † To set up one’s comb: to be proud or vainglorious, to hold one’s head high. To cut (rarely to cast down) the comb of: to lower the pride of, take the conceit out of, tame, ‘take down,’ abash, humiliate.
a. 1536. Tindale, Expos. Matt. vi. 1. If it moue thee to set vp thy combe, when thou geuest thy brother a farthyng or an halfepenny.
1545. Udall, Erasm. Par. Luke (1548), Pref. After that repentaunce hath cast downe our combe.
1548. Hall, Chron., an. 1 Hen. IV., fol. 12. My combe was clerely cut.
1644. Jessop, Angel of Eph., 58. The one cuts the combe of Episcopall Dominion.
1822. Scott, Nigel, ii. All the Counts in Cumberland shall not cut my comb.
1890. F. Hall, in Nation (N. Y.), L. 352/3. His reckoning it a proud thing to cut the comb of an American at all hazards.
6. Applied to various things resembling a cock’s comb in position or appearance (= crest):
a. The crest of a helmet; the upright blade which sometimes took its place on the morion.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, 143/27. Crista, helmes camb.
c. 1059. Voc., ibid., 373/13. Crista, cambihte, camb on hætte oððe on helme.
1834. Planché, Brit. Costume, 30. The serrated outline occasionally forming the comb or crest of these Phrygian-looking head-pieces.
1855. trans. Labarte’s Arts Mid. Ages, p. xxxii. Tilting bourguinot … the comb twisted.
[1884. Chesh. Gloss., Comb … The raised part of a ‘helmet’ hat, such as are worn by the police; also Crest.]
b. The projection on the top of the cock of a gun-lock. Also, the upper corner of the stock of a gun, against which the cheek is placed in firing.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Comb … that projecting piece on the top of the cock of a gun-lock, which affords the thumb a convenient hold for drawing it back.
1881. Greener, Gun, 433. Measure the distance from A to heel, and from B to comb.
c. The crest or ridge of a bank of earth, a rising ground, etc.; the ridge between cart-ruts, etc.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2564. If ðat folc hem wulde deren, ðe dikes comb hem sulde weren.
1808. Jamieson, Kaim, kame. This term in Ayrs. is used to denote the crest of a hill, or those pinnacles which resemble a cock’s comb.
1813. A. Young, Agric. Essex, I. 163. He has levelled the ruts and combs of ten miles in one day.
1838. W. Holloway, Prov. Dict., Cooms, the high ridges in ill kept roads between the ruts and the horse path. Norf. Suff.
1869. Blackmore, Lorna D., iii. We breasted our nags to the rise, and were coming to the comb of it. Ibid. (1876), Cripps, v. The ruts of the lane grew more distinct as their combs of frozen mud attracted and held the driving whiteness.
1880. W. Cornw. Gloss., Comb, an upturned ridge left in ploughing.
d. A long and narrow hill or ridge, having steep sides. Scotl. and North of Eng., usually in form kame, kaim; frequent in proper names.
1808. Jamieson, Kaim, kame, a low ridge. Lanarksh.
1862. Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, IV. 341. To examine the remarkable ridges of sand and gravel, called ‘Kaims,’ at Bedshiel, at Oxenden, and in the Dune woods…. These Kaims consist of elongated ridges of drift … with steep sides, and attaining sometimes a height of 50 or 60 feet.
e. The crest or ridge of a roof. dial.
1870. ‘Mark Twain,’ Innoc. Abr., xviii. From the eaves to the comb of the roof.
1888. W. Somerset Word-bk., Comb.… The ridge of a roof. (Very common.)
f. The crest of a wave. (Cf. COMB v. 5.)
1886. J. W. Graham, Neæra, II. xi. The darkling waters shook with a brisker frolic of dancing frothy combs.
7. Naut. (See quots.)
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., ii. 10. Vnder the midest of it [the beakhead] is the Combe, which is a little peece of wood with two holes in it to bring the fore tacks aboord.
1708. J. Harris, Lex. Techn., s.v., Comb … is a small piece of Timber set under the lower part of the Beak-head near the middle.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Comb.
8. The flat cake or plate consisting of a double series of hexagonal cells of wax made by bees; a honeycomb.
[This use seems to be confined to English. It does not appear to originate in any likeness of a single plate or cake with its cells to a comb for the hair, but either in the fact that the arrangement of the whole of the plates hanging parallel to each other from the roof of the hive suggests a comb with its teeth, or because each plate or ‘comb’ forms a ridge, and the whole a series of parallel ridges, like roofs of houses or ridges of hills rising beyond each other.]
c. 1300. Cursor M., 17288, Resurrection, 456 (Cott.). Þai broȝt som of a rosted fische, a hony combe als-soo.
1388. Wyclif, Prov. xvi. 24. Wordis wel set togidere is a coomb of hony.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 122. Take a hyue, and splente it within with thre or foure splentes, that the bees maye knytte theyr combes therto.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., IV. iv. 79. ’Tis seldome, when the Bee doth leaue her Combe In the dead Carrion.
1658. Rowland, Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 913. True Nectar … was wont to be made about Olympus … of Wine, Bees-combs, and sweet flowers.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), VIII. 74. Every comb, newly made, is white: but it becomes yellow as it grows old.
1859. Darwin, Orig. Spec., viii. I put the comb back into the hive.
β. a. 1300. E. E. Psalter xviii. 11. Swetter … Over honi and the kambe.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XI. 368. Ane vaxcayme that beis mais.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. vii. 27. In camys incluse the hwny clene.
1788. Picken, Poems, 126. (Jam.). A skepp.. Weel cramm’d … Wi’ cames.
1832–53. Whistle-Binkie (Sc. Songs), Ser. II. 43. Your tongue was like a honey kaim.
9. attrib. and Comb., as comb-bearer, -box, -teeth (pl.), -tray; -like, -shaped, -wrought adjs.; comb-broach, one of the teeth of a wool-comb (Simmonds, 1858); comb-card, a carding comb for wool; comb-case, a case to keep a comb in; in quot. a. 1678 applied to a hive containing only empty combs; comb-chafer, a lamellicorn beetle (see quot.); comb-cleat (see CLEAT sb. 2 b; cf. sense 7); comb-cutter, a comb-maker; † comb-feat nonce-wd. [tr. F. tour de peigne], ‘a dressing or thrashing’ (Davies): cf. COMB v. 3; comb-footed a., having feet furnished with structures resembling combs; comb-frame, a frame placed in a hive to be filled with honeycomb; comb-honey, honey in the comb, or with portions of the comb remaining in it; comb-pecked a., pecked on the comb; comb-post, a post to which one of the combs is attached in wool-combing; comb-pot, a small stove in which the wool-combs are heated; comb-saw, a saw for cutting the teeth of combs; comb-wise adv., in manner of a comb.
1887. C. F. Holder, Living Lights, 14. The little jelly-like creatures called *‘comb-bearers’ or Ctenophores.
1677. Lond. Gaz., No. 1190/4. A *Combox, two Powder Boxes, and four other Boxes.
1722. De Foe, Col. Jack (1840), 349. It was … in a comb-box.
1835. Ure, Philos. Manuf., 144. To clean and straighten the fibres of the wool, and to prepare it for the next machine, the *comb-card.
1580. Sidney, Arcadia (1622), 50. By the *combe-case of Diana (sware Dametas) this woman is mad.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel, 11. A Barbers Comcase.
a. 1678. Marvell, Loyal Scot. The hive a combcase, ev’ry bee a drone.
1711. Phil. Trans., XXVII. 347. A pale green shining Dor, or *Comb-chaffer, from its Horns when expanded resembling a Comb.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Comb-cutter’s saw … is usually a double saw, in which two blades are affixed to one stock, one projecting beyond the other, and the less salient acting as a spacer to start the next kerf.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, II. vi. (1694), II. 38. I must … handsomly give thee the *Combfeat [un tour de peigne]. With this he took him by the Throat.
1786. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), II. 74. Your *comb-footed bird.
1615. H. Crooke, Body of Man, 89. The *Comb-like sutures of the Skul.
1813. Bingley, Anim. Biog. (ed. 4), III. 120. The antennæ of the Stag Beetles have a clavate extremity, divided into short, comb-like leaves.
1848. Carpenter, Anim. Phys., 247. The gills form comb-like fringes.
1602. Middleton, Blurt, II. ii. An old *comb-pecked rascal, that was beaten out a’ the cock pit … to come crowing among us!
1888. Encycl. Brit., s.v. Wool, The operative … had a *comb-post … and a *comb-pot.
1782. A. M. Bailey, Mech. Machines, I. 112. This improvement of the Comb-pot will be the means of preserving the health … of many thousand wool-combers.
1601. Holland, Pliny, XIII. iv. I. 385. They [leaves] grow … one close vnto another in manner of *comb-teeth.
1783. Ainsworth, Lat. Dict. (Morell), II. Vallus pectinis, the row of the comb teeth.
1759. Whitfeld, in Phil. Trans., LI. 283. My daughter, with her *comb-tray under her arm.
