Pectinate

//ˈpɛktəneɪt// adj, noun, verb

adj, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An ester or salt formed of pectinic acid.
Verb
  1. 1
    To fit together in an alternating manner; to interlock or interdigitate. ambitransitive

    "To ſet croſſe legg’d, or with our fingers pectinated or ſhut together is accounted bad, and friends will perſwade us from it."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Resembling a comb.; Having narrow ridges or projections aligned close together like the teeth of a comb. not-comparable

    "The moth's antennae were pectinate in shape, set with long teeth along one edge only."

  2. 2
    Resembling a comb.; Striate. not-comparable
Adjective
  1. 1
    like a comb wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
pectinatedrough

Example

More examples

"The moth's antennae were pectinate in shape, set with long teeth along one edge only."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pectinātus (“combed”), from pectinō (“I comb”), from pecten (“comb”). First attested in the mid-18th century.

Related phrases

pectinate linepectinic acid

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.