combings

American

[koh-mingz] / ˈkoʊ mɪŋz /

plural noun

hairs removed with a comb or a brush.

combings British

/ ˈkəʊmɪŋz /

plural noun

the loose hair, wool, etc, removed by combing, esp that of animals
the unwanted loose short fibres removed in combing cotton, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of combings

First recorded in 1565–75; comb + -ing ¹ + -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Hair combings to be burned, to prevent a bird from finding them and building them into a nest.

From Time Magazine Archive

One of the latest combings is Lili Hatvany, authoress of The Love Duel.

From Time Magazine Archive

So I stripped me of my jacket and leaped into the water and swam to the boat, and climbed its open combings as best I could through the flame and heat.

From The Deemster by Caine, Hall, Sir

It consisted of combings from the manes and tails of horses, and many a mile Kenneth used to pad to procure it.

From Kenneth McAlpine A Tale of Mountain, Moorland and Sea by Stables, Gordon

"Father!" remonstrated a girl who stood in the companionway, her elbows propped on the hatch combings.

From Blow The Man Down A Romance Of The Coast - 1916 by Day, Holman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023