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.
"loose fiber obtained from taking apart old hemp ropes," 1420s, from O.E. acumba "tow, oakum, flax fibers separated by combing," lit. "what is combed out," from a- "away, out, off" + stem of cemban "to comb," from camb "a comb;" from P.Gmc. *us-kambon, second element from PIE *gembh- "tooth, nail" (see comb).
1835, "lady's loose robe," from Fr. peignoir, from M.Fr. peignouoir "garment worn over the shoulders while combing the hair" (16c.), from peigner "to comb," from L. pectinare, from pecten (gen. pectinis) "a comb," related to pectere "to comb." A gown put on while coming from the bath; misapplied in Eng. to a woman's morning gown.
1579, from un- (1) "not" + kempt "well-combed, neat," from variant pp. of O.E. cemban "to comb," from P.Gmc. *kambijan, from *kamb- "comb" (see comb). Form unkembed iss recorded from 1390. The verb kemb is rare after 1400s, but its negative pp. form endures.
c.1400, "comb or crest of a cock," from possessive of cock + comb. Meaning "cap worn by a professional fool" is from 1560s; hence "conceited fool" (1560s), a sense passing into the derivative coxcomb.
comb. form meaning "false, feigned, erroneous," from Gk. pseudo-, comb. form of pseudes "false," or pseudos "falsehood," both from pseudein "to deceive." The prefix has been used as a stand-alone word for "false person, pretender" since c.1380.
"to comb wool," 1393, from O.Prov. carda, from cardar "to card," from V.L. *caritare, from L. carrere "to clean or comb with a card," from PIE base *kars- "to scrape."
"to question severely in a bid to find weaknesses," 1788, transferred usage of hekelen "to comb (flax or hemp) with a heckle," from M.E. hekele "a comb for flax or hemp" (early 14c.), from M.Du. hekelen, the original sense of which was "to prickle, irritate," from P.Gmc. *khakilo- (related to hackle). "Long applied in Scotland to the public questioning of parliamentary candidates" [OED].
O.E. hacele "cloak, mantle" (cf. O.H.G. hachul, Goth. hakuls "cloak;" O.N. hekla "hooded frock"). Sense of "bird plumage" is first recorded 1496, though this may be from unrelated M.E. hackle "flax comb" (see heckle) on supposed resemblance of comb to ruffled feathers. Metaphoric extension found in raise one's hackles (as a cock does when angry) is first recorded 1881.
comb. form meaning "light" or "photographic," from Gk. photo-, comb. form of phos (gen. photos) "light," from PIE base *bha- "to shine" (see phantasm).
"full, bushy hairstyle as worn by some blacks," 1938, from Afro-, comb. form of African. As a general adj. for black styles of clothing, music, etc., it is attested from 1966.
by 1945, from cortico-, comb. form of L. cortex "bark of a tree," applied since c.1890 to various surface structures of plants, animals, or organs + steroid. So called because they are produced in the adrenal cortex.
comb. form of Gk. ektos "outside" (adv.), used to form scientific compounds in Gk. Also in ectoplasm, which in the spiritualistic sense is first recorded c.1901 (see plasma).
1886, from Indo-, comb. form of Gk. Indos "India" + China. Name proposed early 19c. by Scot. poet and orientalist John Leyden, who lived and worked in India from 1803 till his death at 35 in 1811.