Link Centre Dictionary

honeycomb

ho·ney·comb

UK/ˈhʌnikəʊm/ US/ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/ rare archaic uk
noun (1) verb (3)

noun

1.

a framework of hexagonal cells resembling the honeycomb built by bees

verb

1.

carve a honeycomb pattern into

  • “The cliffs were honeycombed”
2.

penetrate thoroughly and into every part

  • “the revolutionaries honeycombed the organization”
3.

make full of cavities, like a honeycomb

Origin

The noun is derived from Middle English honycomb, from Old English huniġcamb, from huniġ (“honey”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kn̥h₂ónks (“honey”)) + camb (“comb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“peg; tooth; row of teeth”)). The English word is analysable as honey + comb. The Oxford English Dictionary posits that the arrangement of several plates of wax “hanging parallel to each other from the roof of the hive suggests a comb with its teeth”. The verb is derived from the noun. Compare Saterland Frisian Hunichmoarte (“honeycomb”), West Frisian huningskiif (“honeycomb”), Dutch honingraat (“honeycomb”), German Honigwabe (“honeycomb”).

Phrases

  • fungus comb
  • honeycomb coil
  • honeycomb conjecture
  • honeycomb coral
  • honeycomb ground
  • honeycomb Izak
  • honeycomb limestone
  • honeycomb lung

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.