back comb

1 of 2

noun

: an ornamental comb with a wide top and a few long teeth worn high at the back of the head

back-comb

2 of 2

transitive verb

: ruff entry 3 sense 3

broadly : to comb (hair) in a direction opposite to the one in which it lies naturally

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1835, in the meaning defined above

Transitive Verb

1955, in the meaning defined above

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