honeycomb

American  

[huhn-ee-kohm] / ˈhʌn iˌkoʊm /

noun

1. a structure of rows of hexagonal wax cells, formed by bees in their hive for the storage of honey, pollen, and their eggs.

2. a piece of this containing honey and chewed as a sweet.

3. anything whose appearance suggests such a structure, especially in containing many small units or holes.

   The building was a honeycomb of offices and showrooms.

4. the reticulum of a ruminant.

5. Textiles.

   1. Also called waffle cloth.  a fabric with an embossed surface woven in a pattern resembling a honeycomb.

   2. the characteristic weave of such a fabric.

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adjective

1. having the structure or appearance of a honeycomb.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to be full of holes; pierce with many holes or cavities.

   an old log honeycombed with ant burrows.

2. to penetrate in all parts.

   a city honeycombed with vice.

honeycomb British  

/ ˈhʌnɪˌkəʊm /

noun

1. a waxy structure, constructed by bees in a hive, that consists of adjacent hexagonal cells in which honey is stored, eggs are laid, and larvae develop

2. something resembling this in structure or appearance

3. zoology another name for reticulum

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verb

1. to pierce or fill with holes, cavities, etc

2. to permeate

   honeycombed with spies

Etymology

Origin of honeycomb

before 1050; Middle English huny-comb, Old English hunigcamb. See honey, comb

Example Sentences

Software company Honeycomb said in June it saw people attempting prompt injection attacks against its systems, including extracting customer information, but its LLM tools are not connected to such data.

From Washington Times • Aug. 31, 2023

At a board meeting, company executives summarized the strategy, along with several possible names for the as-yet unnamed streaming service: Paramount+, Honeycomb, The Eye and Pluto+.

From New York Times • May 29, 2022

Keep the Chex, but replace the Honeycomb, Bugles and Goldfish with equivalent weights of snacks such as Glutino pretzels and Fritos, and use gluten-free tamari.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2021

Honeycomb said that "despite ongoing engagement", it recognised that reasonable adjustments for the man at his interview "did not go far enough in the circumstances".

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2021

In the close darkness of the Honeycomb, Hazel pushed past three or four of his rabbits crouching among the tree roots and reached the higher shelf where Speedwell lay listening for sounds from above.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• corrupt
• infest
• mar
• pepper
• pervade
• puncture