Etymograph

English

pectinated

Pectinated comes from Latin pectinatus ‘combed’, from Proto-Italic *pekten ‘comb’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- ‘to pluck’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱ-1‘to pluck’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pḱtḗn1‘comb’reconstructedderivative of *peḱ-
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pekten2‘comb’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pektenātos3‘combed’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpectinatus4‘combed’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1928pectinated4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *pekten
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *pektenātos
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin pectinatus
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English pectinated
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1928, George Vernon Hudson, The butterflies and moths of New Zealand: “The following are the terms used in describing the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *pekten‘to pluck’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pḱtḗnWiktionary, Proto-Italic *pekten‘comb’reconstructedderivative of *peḱ-
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pektenWiktionary, Proto-Italic *pektenātos‘comb’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pektenātosWiktionary, Latin pectinatus‘combed’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpectinatusWiktionary, English pectinated‘combed’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1928pectinatedWiktionary, English pectinated. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1928, George Vernon Hudson, The butterflies and moths of New Zealand: “The following are the terms used in describing the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- ‘to pluck’

fight, fellow, fee, fax, feud, cynical, hound, peculiar, fawn, poodle, cynic, feu, fain, pecuniary, pec, chenille, 25 more

through Proto-Italic *pekten ‘comb’

pendejo, 9 more

Today it means

adj Synonym of pectinate (“resembling a comb”).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pectinated”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *pekten, Proto-Italic *pektenātos, Latin pectinatus. 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 *peḱ- / pectinated

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