Navigation
Home
Resources
Irregular verbs quizzes English conjugator English-French dictionary French dictionary English dictionary Monolingual dictionaries Scores by institution Free sample tests FAQ Pricing Tourism training Blog Videos
Login Sign up
Blog
Videos
Pricing
FR EN

pectinate

adj, verb, noun — 4 senses

pectinate

adj

/ˈpɛktəneɪt/

Etymology 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.

› Resembling a comb.

1

Anatomy, Biology, Botany, Medicine, Natural sciences, Sciences, Zoology Having narrow ridges or projections aligned close together like the teeth of a comb.

  • The moth's antennae were pectinate in shape, set with long teeth along one edge only.
2

Biology, Mycology, Natural sciences Striate.

Derived terms
bipectinate, impectinate, monopectinate, pectinate line, pectinately, subpectinate, unipectinate
Related terms
bipectinated, pecten, pectinal, pectinatella, pectination, pectinibranchiate, pectiniform, unipectinated

pectinate

verb

Etymology 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.

1

Ambitransitive To fit together in an alternating manner; to interlock or interdigitate.

  • To ſet croſſe legg’d, or with our fingers pectinated or ſhut together is accounted bad, and friends will perſwade us from it.1646, Thomas Browne, “Compendiouſly of many queſtionable cuſtomes, opinions, pictures, practiſes, and popular obſervations”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], London: […] T[homas] H[arper] for Edward Dod, […], →OCLC, 5th book, paragraph 9, page 266:

pectinate

noun

Etymology From pectin + -ate (“chemical suffix”).

1

Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences An ester or salt formed of pectinic acid.

Related terms
pectate, pectin

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.