English
comb
Comb comes from Middle English comb ‘a comb’, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos ‘tooth’, and ultimately from *ǵembʰ- ‘to bite, chomp’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵembʰ-‘to bite, chomp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵómbʰos‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kambazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kambreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150camb
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500comb‘a comb’
- Englishearliest quotation 1869same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵembʰ-‘to bite, chomp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵómbʰos‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kambazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kambreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150camb
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500comb‘a comb’
- Englishearliest quotation 1869same form
Earliest quotation: 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago: “I also obtained here a specimen of the rare…”
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *kamb
through Middle English comb ‘a comb’
Today it means
noun A toothed implement: A toothed implement for grooming the hair or (formerly) for keeping it in place.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵembʰ- / comb