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pectinate (PEK-tuh-nait) - adj., shaped like a comb, having closely parallel toothlike projections.
Such as the antennae of certain moths, the claws on the middle toes of herons, or several other little-noticed things in the natural world -- as that's the usual domain for this word. Those man-made pectinate things I can think of are, well, likely to just be called combs. Adopted in 1793 from Latin pectinātus, combed, past participle of pectināre, to comb, from pecten, comb/rake/scallop/pubes (ah, Roman slang), akin to Greek pékein to comb/card.
---L.
Such as the antennae of certain moths, the claws on the middle toes of herons, or several other little-noticed things in the natural world -- as that's the usual domain for this word. Those man-made pectinate things I can think of are, well, likely to just be called combs. Adopted in 1793 from Latin pectinātus, combed, past participle of pectināre, to comb, from pecten, comb/rake/scallop/pubes (ah, Roman slang), akin to Greek pékein to comb/card.
---L.
