cemban
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *kambijan, from Proto-Germanic *kambijaną.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkem.bɑn/
Verb
cemban
- to comb
Usage notes
- In Old English, you usually comb someone's head, not their hair (Hū, ne wilt þū þīn hēafod cemban ǣr þū tō scōle gā? = “Don't you want to comb your hair [lit. head] before you go to school?”), or else you comb the person themselves (Sēo mōdor cemde þæt ċild = “The mother combed the child's hair [lit. the child]”). See also efesian (“to cut hair”).
Conjugation
Conjugation of cemban (weak, class 1)
| infinitive | cemban | cembenne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | cembe | cembde |
| second person singular | cembest, cembst | cembdest |
| third person singular | cembeþ, cembþ | cembde |
| plural | cembaþ | cembdon |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | cembe | cembde |
| plural | cemben | cembden |
| imperative | ||
| singular | cemb | |
| plural | cembaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| cembende | (ġe)cembed | |
Derived terms
- ācemban (“to comb out”)