honeycomb
To riddle with small holes, especially in a pattern resembling a honeycombTo riddle (something) with small holes, especially in a pattern resembling a honeycomb (noun sense 1); also, to cause (something) to become hollow or weakened in this way.
» Why are honeycomb cells six-sided?
rul · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
6 senses(transitive)To riddle (something) with small holes, especially in a pattern resembling a honeycomb (noun sense 1); also, to cause (something) to become hollow or weakened in this way.
(transitive)To bore cavities or tunnels inside (something).
Termites will honeycomb a porch made of untreated pine.
(transitive)To decorate (something) with a honeycomb pattern.
carve a honeycomb pattern into
(figuratively, transitive)To make way deeply into (something) so as to weaken it; to undermine.
(transitive)To ornament (a ceiling) with honeycomb work (see noun sense 2.4).
(also, archaic, figuratively, intransitive)To become riddled with small holes, especially in a pattern resembling a honeycomb; also, to become hollow or weakened in this way.
Examples
9 sentencesWhy are honeycomb cells six-sided?
The honeycomb structure gives the scaffolding its sturdiness.
deDie Honigwaben-Struktur verleiht dem Gerüst seine Standfestigkeit. — Yorwba
Beekeepers remove the honeycomb to collect the honey.
deImker entfernen die Honigwabe, um den Honig zu ernten. — Yorwba
The honeycombs of the beehive are full of honey.
Why do bees make the cells of their honeycomb in a hexagonal shape?
Origin
The noun is derived from Middle English honycomb, from Old English huniġcamb, from huniġ (The noun is derived from Middle English honycomb, from Old English huniġcamb, from huniġ (“honey”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kn̥h₂ónks (“honey”)) + camb (“comb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“peg; tooth; row of teeth”)). The English word is analysable as honey + comb. The Oxford English Dictionary posits that the arrangement of several plates of wax “hanging parallel to each other from the roof of the hive suggests a comb with its teeth”. The verb is derived from the noun. Compare Saterland Frisian Hunichmoarte (“honeycomb”), West Frisian huningskiif (“honeycomb”), Dutch honingraat (“honeycomb”), German Honigwabe (“honeycomb”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
honeycombs, honeycombing, honeycombed, honeycombed| Base form | honeycomb · to honeycomb |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | honeycombs |
| Present participle | honeycombing |
| Past simple | honeycombed |
| Past participle | honeycombed |
regular · Lesson
Word family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.