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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

pectinate.

Resembling a comb.

9 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈpɛktəneɪt/
  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. Resembling a comb. Striate.

    not-comparable
Where this word comes from

Borrowed from Latin pectinātus (“combed”), from pectinō (“to comb”), from pecten (“comb”). First attested in the mid-18th century. By surface analysis, Latin pectin- (“comb, scallop”) + -ate.

verb/ˈpɛktəneɪt/
  1. To fit together in an alternating manner; to interlock or interdigitate.

    ambitransitive
Where this word comes from

Borrowed from Latin pectinātus (“combed”), from pectinō (“to comb”), from pecten (“comb”). First attested in the mid-18th century. By surface analysis, Latin pectin- (“comb, scallop”) + -ate.

noun/ˈpɛktəneɪt/
  1. An ester or salt formed of pectinic acid.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-der. Ancient Greek πήγνῡμι (pḗgnūmi) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τός (-tós) Ancient Greek πηκτός (pēktós) Ancient Greek πηκτικός (pēktikós)der. French acide pectique French pectineder. English pectin English -ate English pectinate From pectin + -ate (“chemical suffix”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.