Noun

Singular comb

Plural combs

comb (plural combs)

1. A toothed implement for grooming the hair.
2. A machine used in separating choice cotton fibers from worsted cloth fibers.
3. A fleshy growth on the top of the head of some birds and reptiles; crest.
4. A structure of hexagon cells made by bees for storing honey; honeycomb.
5. An old English measure of corn equal to the half quarter.

   • 1882, But the comb or half quarter is very general in the Eastern counties, particularly in Norfolk. — James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, Volume 4, page 207.

6. The top part of a gun’s stock.
7. the toothed plate at the top and bottom of an escalator that prevents objects getting trapped between the moving stairs and fixed landings.
8. (music) the main body of a harmonica containing the air chambers and to which the reed plates are attached.

Related terms

• orling
• drop at comb

A comb or hair polarizer is a toothed device used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibers. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating back to 5000 years ago in Persia.

Description

Combs can be made out of a number of materials, most commonly wood or plastic. Ivory and tortoiseshell were once common but concerns for the animals that produce them have reduced their usage. When made from wood, combs are largely made of boxwood, cherry wood or other fine-grained wood. Good quality wooden combs are usually handmade and polished.

Combs can vary in shape according to function. Hairdressing combs may have a thin, tapered handle for parting hair and close teeth. Common hair combs usually have wider teeth half way and finer teeth for the rest of the comb. A little known fact is that the spaces between the teeth on a comb are called combdrums.

A hairbrush, which is larger than a comb, is also commonly used for shaping, styling and cleaning the hair.