comber

See also: Comber

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English comber, camber, equivalent to comb +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkəʊmə/
• (US) enPR: kōʹmər, IPA^(key): /ˈkoʊmɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: (UK) -əʊmə, (US) -oʊmə(ɹ)
• Homophone: coma (non-rhotic)

Noun

comber (plural combers)

1. A person who combs wool, etc.
2. A machine that combs wool, etc.
3. A long, curving wave breaking on the shore.
   • 1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 118:

     The mighty combers crashed down with long echoing reverberations like the roar of great cannons, followed by the ominous swish of broken water rushing across the reef in mad clouds of foam and spray.

   • 1961, Tom Mead, Killers of Eden, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 159:

     ‘A comber like that last one would come right over the side.’

Synonyms

• (long curving wave): breaker

Derived terms

• beachcomber
• grass-comber
• wool comber, woolcomber

Translations

person who combs wool

• Finnish: kampaaja (fi)
• Greek: λαναράς (el) m (lanarás), ξάντης (el) (xántis)
• Polish: postrzygacz (pl) m

machine that combs wool

• Bulgarian: дарак (bg) m (darak)

long, curving wave

• Bulgarian: разбиваща се вълна (razbivašta se vălna)
• Finnish: laine (fi)

Etymology 2

A comber

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒmbə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) enPR: kämʹbər, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑmbɚ/
• Rhymes: (UK) -ɒmbə, (US) -ɑmbə(ɹ)

Noun

comber (plural combers)

1. Serranus cabrilla, the gaper, a fish found in European waters.

Derived terms

• brown comber (Serranus hepatus)
• painted comber (Serranus picta)
• comber wrasse (comb wrasse, Labrus bergylta, syn. Labrus comber)

Translations

Serranus cabrilla

• Arabic: قُرْفُص (qurfuṣ) (collective), قُرْفُصَة (qurfuṣa) (singulative)
• Asturian: cabra (ast)
• Bulgarian: ха́нос m (hános)
• Catalan: serrà (ca) m
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: pastellimeriahven
• French: perche de mer (fr) f
• German: Sägebarsch m
• Greek: σερράνος m (serrános), χάνος (el) m (chános)

  Ancient Greek: χάννη f (khánnē)

• Irish: ciaradóir m
• Italian: perchia f
• Russian: ка́менный о́кунь-ха́нос m (kámennyj ókunʹ-xános)
• Serbo-Croatian: кањац m, kanjac (sh) m
• Spanish: cabrilla (es) f
• Turkish: hani (tr), asıl hani

Anagrams

• recomb

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡sɔm.bɛr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔmbɛr
• Syllabification: com‧ber
• Homophones: cąber, Cąber, Comber

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Ziemer, Zimmer.

Noun

comber m inan (diminutive comberek)

1. saddle (cut of meat that includes both loins and part of the backbone)
2. dish prepared from such meat

Declension

Declension of comber

	singular	plural
nominative	comber	combry
genitive	combra	combrów
dative	combrowi	combrom
accusative	comber	combry
instrumental	combrem	combrami
locative	combrze	combrach
vocative	combrze	combry

Etymology 2

Perhaps borrowed from German Zampern, Zempern, Zemper.

Noun

comber m inan

1. (historical) medieval folk carnival game formerly held in various regions of Poland, usually on Fat Thursday

Declension

Declension of comber

	singular	plural
nominative	comber	combry
genitive	combra	combrów
dative	combrowi	combrom
accusative	comber	combry
instrumental	combrem	combrami
locative	combrze	combrach
vocative	combrze	combry

Further reading

• “comber”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “comber”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)