kemben

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English cemban, from Proto-Germanic *kambijaną.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈkɛmbən/, /ˈkeːmbən/, /ˈkɛmən/

Noun

kemben

  1. To comb or brush one's hair; to use a comb.
    • a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, line 3690-3691:
      But first he cheweth greyn and lycorys / To smellen sweete, er he hadde kembd his heer.
      Though first he chews spices and licorice, / To smell sweet before he'd combed his hair.
  2. (rare) To prettify or nicen.
  3. (rare) To untangle fibres; to card.

Conjugation
Conjugation of kemben (irregular weak)
infinitive (to) kemben
indicative present past
1st person singular kembe kembed, kempt, kembd
2nd person singular kembest *kembedest, *kemptest
3rd person singular kembeþ, kembeth kembed, kempt, kembd
plural kemben *kembede(n), *kempt(en), *kembd(en)
subjunctive present past
singular kembe *kempte, *kembde
plural kemben *kembede(n), *kempt(en), *kembd(en)
imperative present
singular kembe
plural kembeþ, kembeth
participle present past
kembende, kembinge (y)kembed, (y)kempt, (y)kembd

Derived terms

Descendants

References
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