comber:

(plural: ‘combers‘; pronunciation: the letter ‘c’ is said with a ‘k’ sound as in “king”, and the letters ‘co’ rhyme with the letters ‘co’ in “coal” or ” coca cola” or “coke”; and the letter ‘b’ is silent)

‘to comb‘, in this context, = to separate tangled or matted hair, wool, cotton, etc. into fine fibre and waste with a ‘comb-like tool’

a person (or a machine) that combs,

a comber combing wool with two combs

e.g.

Woolworth tried to get a job as a wool comber at the new wool factory.

Comber noil or cotton comber noil is not a worker who combs cotton but the short fiber that falls off in the process of making cotton yearn, i.e. when the raw cotton is being combed, and the unspoiled mass of comber noil is used in making other cotton products and in making currency notes/bills.

In the past, cotton and wool combing was done by combers using combs but as machines have been introduced in factories, cotton and wool combing is also done by machines, and consequently, most of the combers have lost their livelihood.

beachcomber

Note: A ‘beachcomber’, on the other hand, is a poor homeless person who goes about beaches in search of things that are washed out by the waves or left there by bathers to sell and earn some money; and any person, not necessarily poor and homeless, who searches beaches for any old but useful or interesting things for collection, such as sealed bottles with messages in them, valuable things from ship wrecks, even clothes and toys washed out on to the beaches.

combers (waves)

The word ‘comber’ is also used for a long curling wave of (sea) water that rises high and then breaks into foam. And in this context, the wave is also called ‘a breaker’ or ‘a roller’, and ‘comber’ is also used to refer to a small fish called ‘gaper’.
Note: ‘Comber’, always with a capital ‘c’, is often found in people’s names, e.g. Paddy Comber, William Comber, Gerald Comber, etc. For an interesting web page that gives us brief history of the origin of the surname ‘Comber’, please click here.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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