Etymograph

English

pectinate

Pectinate comes from Latin pectinātus ‘combed’, from pectinō ‘to comb’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱt-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱt-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pḱtḗn1‘comb’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pekten1‘comb’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpecten2‘comb’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpectinō2‘to comb’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpectinātus2‘combed’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1646pectinate2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin pecten
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English pectinate
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1646, Thomas Browne, London: […] T[homas] H[arper] for Edward Dod: “To ſet croſſe legg’d, or with our fingers pectinated…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱt-Wiktionary, Latin pectenreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pḱtḗnWiktionary, Latin pecten‘comb’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pektenWiktionary, Latin pecten‘comb’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpectenWiktionary, English pectinate‘comb’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpectinōWiktionary, English pectinate‘to comb’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpectinātusWiktionary, English pectinate‘combed’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1646pectinateWiktionary, English pectinate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1646, Thomas Browne, London: […] T[homas] H[arper] for Edward Dod: “To ſet croſſe legg’d, or with our fingers pectinated…”

Equivalent to pecten ‘comb, scallop’ + -ate

first attested First attested in the mid-18th century (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

First attested in the mid-18th century.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin pecten ‘comb’

pendejo, 8 more

Today it means

adj Having narrow ridges or projections aligned close together like the teeth of a comb.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pectinate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin pecten. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peḱt- / pectinate

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