Emily Dickinson Lexicon

COMB, n.² [b silent; Sax. camb, a comb; cemban, to comb; G. kamm; D. kam; Sw. kamm; Dan. kam, a comb; Ir. ciomaim, to comb or card. Qu. L. como, to dress, trim or comb, which seems to be allied to the Gr. κομψος. But the noun may be the radical word in our language, and from scratching, scraping; Eth. ገምዐ gamea; to shave or scrape.]

1. An instrument, with teeth, for separating, cleansing and adjusting hair, wool, or flax. Also, an instrument of horn or shell, for keeping the hair in its place when dressed.
2. The crest, caruncle or red fleshy tuft, growing on a cock's head; so called from its indentures which resemble the teeth of a comb.
3. The substance in which bees lodge their honey, in small hexagonal cells.
4. A dry measure of four bushels. [Not used in the United States.]