A comb

A comb for people with hair loss.

A modern plastic comb with a handle

A comb is a device made of solid material, generally flat, always toothed, and is used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibers. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1037x205, 279 KB) Comb, own scan. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1037x205, 279 KB) Comb, own scan. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BaldyComb. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BaldyComb. ... Baldness (formally alopecia) is the state of lacking hair where it usually would grow, especially on the head. ... Download high resolution version (875x276, 34 KB)A comb, photographed by DONeil. ... Download high resolution version (875x276, 34 KB)A comb, photographed by DONeil. ... Plastic covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. ...

The etymology of the English word is ancient, going straight back to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "tooth", "toothed", "to bite", and found in ancient Greek and Sanskrit. The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, believed to have been spoken around 4000 BC in Central Asia (according to the Kurgan hypothesis) or millennia before that in Anatolia (according to the Anatolian hypothesis). ... Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम् ; pronunciation: ) is an Indo-European classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ...

Combs are among the older tools known to mankind, having been found in very refined forms already in settlements dating back to 5000 years ago in Persia — possibly at the height of the first major Indo-European migrations. Image:Tool3. ... Motto: Persian: Esteqlāl, āzādÄ«, jomhÅ«rÄ«-ye eslāmÄ« (English: Independence, freedom, (the) Islamic Republic) Anthem: SorÅ«d-e MellÄ«-e Īrān Capital Tehran Largest city Tehran Official language(s) Persian Government Islamic republic  - Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei  - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Revolution Overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi   - Declared...

It can be argued that combs do not only have value as cosmetic implements. Combs may have given users an evolutionary advantage by helping in the endless fight against parasites. In fact, Indo-European or otherwise, there are no known traditional civilizations that ignore the use of combs, even those whose members have hair that is quite hard to comb.

Scythian golden comb, 5th century B.C. (Hermitage Museum).

Sculptured comb, in ivory, of the sixteenth-century (Sauvageot Collection)

The term is applied in English also to 5th-century B.C. Scythian golden comb from the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. ... 5th-century B.C. Scythian golden comb from the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. ... Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an electrum cup from the KulOba kurgan burial near Kerch. ... The State Hermitage Museum (Государственный Эрмитаж) in St. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1275x885, 51 KB)Sculptured Comb, in Ivory, of the Sixteenth Century (Sauvageot Collection) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1275x885, 51 KB)Sculptured Comb, in Ivory, of the Sixteenth Century (Sauvageot Collection) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

• the fleshy crest atop the head of many species of birds (hens et al.)
• the ridge or reinforcement in the same position on steel helmets
• a periodic, sharp spike or dip pattern in a signal
• the thick, semi-flexible water-filtering structures used in filter-feeding by baleen whales, which are if anything closer to what one would call "brushes".

Alternative uses of combs include:

• Keeping long hair in place.
• Decorating the hair.
• Keeping a kippa in place.
• Separating cotton fibers from seeds and other debris. The cotton gin, a mechanized version of the comb, is one of the machines that ushered the Industrial revolution.
• Making music, by dramatically increasing the high-frequency harmonic content of the hum produced by the human voice box, and modulating the resulting spread sound spectrum by changing the resonanting frequency of the oral cavity. This is accomplished by stringing a plant's leaf or a piece of paper in one side of the comb and humming with cropped lips on the opposite side. This was the inspiration for the kazoo.
• Annoying people by making monotonous noises plinging repetitively at comb teeth of identical length and harmonic qualities. Boring as this may seem, it was the inspiration for a kind of comb with teeth of varying length, which eventually evolved in the music box.

Combs are also a favorite spot for police investigators to collect hair and dandruff samples that can be used in ascertaining dead or living people's identities, as well as their state of health, toxicological profiles, and so forth. A yarmulke (Yiddish יאַרמלקע yarmlke) or Kippah (Hebrew כִּפָּה kippāh, plural kippot) is a thin, usually slightly rounded cloth cap worn by Jews. ... Cotton gin The cotton gin is a machine invented by American inventor Eli Whitney in 1793 to mechanize the production of cotton fiber. ... Two examples of the kazoo A metal kazoo The kazoo is a simple musical instrument (membranophone) that adds a buzzing timbral quality to a players voice when one hums into it. ...

Sharing combs is a common source of parasitic infections, as one user can leave a comb with plenty of eggs or even live parasites, facilitating the transmission of lice, fleas, crabs, mites, fungi, and other undesirables. While these parasitic infestations are usually only mildly uncomfortable, they can also act as a conduit for more serious illnesses, such as the Black Plague, that killed one third of all Europeans in the 14th century. In contrast, specialized combs such as "flea combs" or "nit combs" can be used to remove macroscopic parasites. A parasite is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life in or on the living tissue of a host organism and which causes harm to the host without immediately killing it. ... Suborders Anoplura (sucking lice) Rhyncophthirina Ischnocera (avian lice) Amblycera (chewing lice) Lice (singular: louse) (order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 species of wingless parasitic insects. ... Families Flea is the common name for any of the small wingless insects of the order Siphonaptera. ... Families Tetranychidae - Spider mites Eriophyidae - Gall mites Sarcoptidae - Sarcoptic Mange mites The mites and ticks, order Acarina or Acari, belong to the Arachnida and are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups, although some way behind the insects. ... This article concerns the epidemic of the mid-14th century. ...