honeycombn.
/ˈhʌnɪkəʊm/, U.S. /ˈhəniˌkoʊm/ I. A wax structure, and related senses.
1. A structure of beeswax consisting of two outward-facing layers of hexagonal cells separated by thin partitions, formed by honeybees for the storage of honey, pollen, and the rearing of larvae. Also: such a structure and the honey it contains, sometimes eaten as food. Also as a mass noun. Cf. comb-honey n. at comb n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sweetness > [noun] > honey > honeycomb
honeycombOE
comba1300
the world > food and drink > food > additive > sweetener > honey > [noun] > honeycomb
comba700
honeycombOE
werke1598
virgin comb1639
sugar-bag1764
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > superfamily Apoidea (bees) > honeycomb
honeycombOE
sugar-bag1764
OE Regularis Concordia (Tiber.) (1993) vi. 6 Uti apes fauu[m] nectaris diuersis pratorum floribus in uno alueario : swa swa beon hunigcamb teares mid mislicum felda blostmum on anre hyfe.
lOE Recipe (Dresden Dc.187) in H. Varnhagen De Glossis Nonnullis Anglicis (1902) 7 Item wudesura poma et hunicamb simul coque.
a1300 Passion our Lord 616 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 54 (MED) Hi hym bivore brouhten of one visse ibred And ek enne huny-comb.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xviii. 11 Desiderable minchel [read michel] more þan gold and precious stones, and swetter þan hony [&] honykombes.
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 245 Hony coom, favus.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xviii. §11. 70 Swetter abouen huny & huny kambe.
1533 T. Elyot Of Knowl. Wise Man i. f. 22v The bee..knoweth not whether it be a man or a beaste that taketh his hony combes, & putteth hym out of his lodgyng.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 191v Blewe knoppes or tuftes, like Honycomes.
1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar Poems (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 175 Merchandis..hamperit in ane hony came.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xxxvi. 230 The fault that Jonathan had committed, in eating a honey-comb.
1735 J. Cockburn Journey over Land 45 Three Men and three Women, who brought with them a great Quantity of Honeycomb and Plantains.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VIII. 100 The honeycomb of the bee is edgeways with respect to the hive.
1811 A. T. Thomson London Dispensatory ii. 96 Unbleached Wax... Yellow wax is prepared immediately from the honeycomb.
1857 J. W. Carlyle Lett. II. 314 Tea, eggs, brown bread and honey-comb.
1909 K. Tynan Abbot's Bees in Lauds 37 The windows of the novitiate Are open ever early and late; And hear the voices like the hum The bees make in the honeycomb!
1944 K. B. Hathaway Little Locksmith ii. 10 My note-books became as secretly precious to me as their slowly growing honeycomb must be to a hive of bees.
2012 S. Benbow Urban Beekeeper 78 The chefs are keen to find a honeycomb that could work on their cheeseboard.
2.
a. figurative. Something resembling a honeycomb in sweetness; that which is good, pleasant, or desirable.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > [noun] > source of pleasure
honeycombOE
sweetness?c1225
dainty1340
sweet1377
delicec1390
lust1390
pleasancec1390
pleasingc1390
well-queema1400
well-queemnessa1400
douceurc1400
delectation?a1425
pleasure1443
pleaserc1447
delectabilitiesa1500
deliciositiesa1500
honeydew1559
delicacy1586
fancy1590
sugar candy1591
regalo1622
happiness1637
deliciousness1651
complacence1667
regalea1677
sweetener1741
bon-bon1856
Bones1869
jam1871
true love1893
nuts1910
barrel of fun (laughs, etc.)1915
G-spot1983
OE tr. Defensor Liber Scintillarum (1969) x. 98 Anima saturata calcabit fauum : sawl gefylled trytt beobread uel hunigcamb.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Hengwrt) (2003) §145 He seith þt wordes þt ben spoken discretly by ordinance beth honycombes, for they yeue swetnesse to the soule.
c1450 (?c1425) St. Mary of Oignies i. xiii, in Anglia (1885) 8 150 Þou spouse of Cryste, þy lippes are an hony-combe distillynge hony.
?1510 T. More tr. G. F. Pico della Mirandola Lyfe I. Picus sig. a.ii The swete hony combis of his plesaunt wrytinge: which shuld shew out the celestiall giftis of god.
c1550 T. Becon Flour of Godly Praiers f. cxxvii An innocent and righteous tong, is..an hony combe.
1642 J. Eaton (title) The honey-combe of free justification by Christ alone.
1657 S. Purchas Theatre Flying-insects ii. 360 We receive our honey and our honey-combe, that is to say, peace with God the Father.
1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem i. 10 Her Lips are Honey-combs.
1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. ii. 28 What I have is my own, if labour in getting, and care in augmenting, can make a right of property; and no drone shall feed on my honeycomb.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Edwin Morris 26 Was he not A full-cell'd honeycomb of eloquence Stored from all flowers?
1925 V. Lindsay Coll. Poems v. 239 Her [sc. the moon's] pollen is eternal life... It feeds the swarming stars and fills Their hearts with honeycomb.
1995 J. Leigh House of Destiny xxx. 286 Ravenously he feasted—her aroma summoned him as a bee to the flower—and he found the core of her honeycomb.
b. In extended use. Something full of cells, cavities, or perforations, resembling a honeycomb.
ΚΠ
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. iii. 344 Pymples and whelkes and scabbis, out of þe whiche comeþ quittir iliche hony. And þerfore Constantinus clepiþ suche scabbe fauum ‘honycomb’.
1854 T. B. Thorpe Master's House ix. 110 Come back here and surrender yourself, you infernal black d—l, or I'll make a honeycombe of your kinky brains.
1886 Cent. Mag. Aug. 559 The soil..was burrowed by the birds [sc. puffins] into a perfect honeycomb of passages.
1935 D. L. Sayers Gaudy Night xi. 235 She admired the strange nexus of interests that unites the male half of mankind into a close honeycomb of cells.
1971 S. Howatch Penmarric (1972) iv. i. 368 Next door, its passages making a honeycomb of the cliff, was [the mine of] Sennen Garth.
2001 J. Waterman Arctic Crossing iii. 258 Thin ice puddles crack out in thirty-foot-long honeycombs under my weight.
c. Chiefly British and Australian. A crunchy confection, having a crisp, cavitied texture and typically made by boiling together sugar, golden syrup, water, and bicarbonate of soda. Frequently attributive, esp. in honeycomb toffee.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > confections or sweetmeats > sweets > [noun] > a sweet > other sweets
scrochat1448
gobbet riala1500
Portugal1560
sugar-pellet1591
muscadine1599
moscardino1616
rock candy1653
covering-seeds1687
lollipop1784
turn-over1798
lavender-sugar1810
humbug1825
kiss1825
elecampane1826
Gibraltar1831
yellow man1831
rose cake1834
cockle1835
maple candy1840
butterscotch1847
sponge candy1850
squib1851
honeycomb1857
marshmallow1857
motto kiss1858
fondant1861
coffee cream1868
candy-braid1870
candy bar1885
suckabob1888
nut bar1896
crackerjack1902
teiglach1903
red-hot1910
violet cream1912
mouldy1916
patty1916
lace1919
Tootsie Roll1925
sugar mouse1931
Parma1971
cinder toffee1979
1857 Boston Herald 26 Dec. 1/2 (advt.) The original Honey Comb Candy.
1933 Cairns (Queensland) Post 5 Jan. 10/1 Honeycomb Toffee. Four tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons golden syrup. Boil together seven minutes. Take off fire, and add 1 teaspoonful carbonate of soda.
1950 Spectator 8 Dec. 645/1 A large piece of honeycomb toffee.
1980 C. James Unreliable Mem. iv. 43 It was a slab of dense, dry honeycomb coated with chocolate.
2008 G. McNeil Needles & Pearls ix. 338 Think about all your favourite flavours of ice cream... That honey one, with bits of crunchy honeycomb.
3. As a term of endearment: sweetheart, darling. Cf. honey n. 5. Now archaic and rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun]
darlingc888
belamy?c1225
culver?c1225
dearc1230
sweetheartc1290
heartc1300
sweetc1330
honeya1375
dovec1386
jewelc1400
birdc1405
cinnamonc1405
honeycombc1405
lovec1405
wantonc1450
mulling?a1475
daisyc1485
crowdy-mowdy?a1513
honeysop?a1513
powsowdie?a1513
suckler?a1513
foolc1525
buttinga1529
whitinga1529
beautiful1534
turtle-dove1535
soula1538
heartikin1540
bully?1548
turtle1548
lamba1556
nyletc1557
sweet-lovea1560
coz1563
ding-ding1564
pugs1566
golpol1568
sparling1570
lover1573
pug1580
bulkin1582
mopsy1582
chuck1589
bonny1594
chick1594
sweetikin1596
ladybird1597
angel1598
muss1598
pinkany1599
sweetkin1599
duck1600
joy1600
sparrowc1600
sucket1605
nutting1606
chuckaby1607
tickling1607
bagpudding1608
heartling1608
chucking1609
dainty1611
flittermouse1612
honeysuckle1613
fubs1614
bawcocka1616
pretty1616
old thinga1625
bun1627
duckling1630
bulchin1633
bulch?c1640
sweetling1648
friscoa1652
ding-dongs1662
buntinga1668
cocky1680
dearie1681
chucky1683
lovey1684
machree1689
nykin1693
pinkaninny1696
nug1699
hinny1724
puss1753
pet1767
dovey1769
sweetie1778
lovey-dovey1781
lovely1791
ducky1819
toy1822
acushla1825
alanna1825
treat1825
amigo1830
honey child1832
macushla1834
cabbage1840
honey-bunch1874
angel pie1878
m'dear1887
bach1889
honey baby1895
prawn1895
hon1896
so-and-so1897
cariad1899
pumpkin1900
honey-bun1902
pussums1912
snookums1919
treasure1920
wogger1922
amico1929
sugar1930
baby cake1949
angel cake1951
lamb-chop1962
petal1974
bae2006
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Miller's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 512 What do ye hony comb, swete Alisoun.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Darlynge, a wanton terme..as be these: honycombe, pyggisnye, swetehert, trueloue.
1606 Wily Beguilde 58 Yfaith my sweet honny combe.
a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Lovers Progres iv, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Lll3v/2 My honey-combe how sweet thou art.
1673 J. Arrowsmith Reformation v. ii. 65 My Joy, my chuck, my dear, my sweet honey-comb.
1703 C. Cibber She wou'd & she wou'd Not iii. 30 Sweet Hony-Comb, don't be so Waspish.
1844 R. M. Daniel Young Widow III. v. i. 11 A new house, my honeycomb.
1905 F. Hume Opal Serpent v. 59 Don't say it's you as held your tongue, for that you didn't, my honeycomb.
1971 U. K. Le Guin Tombs of Atuan 10 How's my poor little honeycomb?
II. Technical uses.
4. A defect in metal or a metal object (esp. a gun) in which it is pitted with small cavities. Now rare. Cf. honeycombed adj. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > qualities of metals > [noun] > imperfections
honeycomb1530
roll mark1894
hair crack1896
season crack1909
season cracking1910
snowflake1919
hairline crack1923
shrinkage cavity1923
clink1925
shatter crack1930
stretcher strain1931
pimpling1940
stringer1942
quench cracking1949
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 232/1 Honny combe, marcq.
1588 C. Lucar Appendix 2 in tr. N. Tartaglia 3 Bks. Shooting Whether or no any hony combes, flawes, or crackes are in the sayd peece.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Honey-comb, a Flaw in the Metal of a Piece of Ordnance.
1828 J. M. Spearman Brit. Gunner 339 Efforts to force the water through any honey-combs or flaws which there may be in the bore.
1901 T. F. Fremantle Bk. of Rifle xiii. 355 It does not quickly arrive at the stage of a distinct honeycomb, since the scrubbing of the bullet upon the bore tends to keep the surface even.
5. The reticulum or second stomach of a ruminant, the inner surface of which has a honeycombed appearance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > [noun] > ruminant > parts of > stomach > second
honeycomb1658
reticulum1658
bonnet1688
king's hood1744
honeycomb bag1809
honeycomb stomach1831
1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 149 The Reticulum, or Net-like Ventricle of ruminating horned animals, which is the second in order, culinarily called the Honey-comb.
1695 Coll. Improvem. Husbandry & Trade 11 Jan. The second [stomach] is called the Honey-comb, as being something like it.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 3 The second [of four stomachs] is called the honeycomb, and is..nothing more than a continuation of the former.
1859 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. V. 302/2 The second cavity, the honeycomb..is so called from the appearance of its mucous membrane.
1897 Cent. Dict. VI. Psalterium,... the third division of the stomach of a typical ruminant, between the reticulum or honeycomb and the abomasum.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xxi. 737 In the cud-chewing animals the first three chambers—the paunch, the honeycomb, and the manyplies—belong to the gullet.
1972 Techn. Man. 8-450 (U.S. Dept. of Army) 16 Feb. ii. 36 The common name for reticulum is ‘honeycomb’.
2002 C. A. Wright Best Stews in World 7/1 The second stomach, known as honeycomb or reticulum..is more common in American markets.
6. = honeycomb work n. at Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > pendants
pendant1506
honeycomb1838
honeycomb work1839
pendentive1845
pendanting1851
stalactite1851
wall-piece1860
stalactite-work1902
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > openwork > [noun]
openwork1583
lacework1675
tracery1827
lacery1847
honeycomb1924
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > interlaced
fretc1385
friar knots1488
chainwork1551
knot1638
Gordian knotc1660
meander1706
entrelac1723
triquetra1845
knotwork1851
strapwork1854
Celtic knot1865
snake-knot1866
aligreek1867
plaitwork1871
honeycomb work1874
strap-ornament1895
honeycomb1924
1838 H. G. Knight Normans in Sicily 276 The vault is ornamented with the Moorish honeycomb.
1924 T. Wright Romance of Lace Pillow (new ed.) I. ix. 77 Midland lace..of which the entire net is wire ground or honeycomb.
1976 P. Nottingham Techn. Bobbin Lace iv. 138 The honeycomb must be enclosed in gimp.
2011 F. Russell Places in Syria i. 23 The arch above the portal is decorated in honeycomb.
7.
a. A honeycombed structure placed in a wind tunnel for the purposes of reducing turbulence and straightening the air flow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > fluid dynamics > [noun] > aerodynamics > wind tunnels > parts of
honeycomb1911
guide vane1941
1911 Sci. Amer. 16 Dec. 532/2 At the other end is inserted a honeycomb structure for causing the air to flow in straight lines... The ‘honeycomb’ in this case is a standard aeroplane radiator.
1947 A. Pope Wind-tunnel Testing ii. 60 If the contraction ratio of the tunnel is large, and a good honeycomb is installed, the turbulence can be low indeed.
1966 E. Ower & R. C. Pankhurst Measurem. Air Flow (ed. 4) vii. 200 The resistance coefficient of a honeycomb or a gauze is conveniently expressed in term of the loss of pressure..suffered by the air.
2008 Weed Technol. 22 550/1 The honeycomb produced some degree of backpressure.
b. A manufactured material having a honeycombed structure, esp. where lightness and strength is required. See also honeycomb sandwich n. at Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > [noun] > cellular condition > cellular or honeycombed object
Swiss cheese1924
honeycomb1946
1946 Mod. Plastics Sept. 130/2 Standard thicknesses of honeycomb have been selected.
1966 New Scientist 26 May 523/3 Temperature-resistant honeycomb has been used in heat-sensitive areas of many aircraft.
1984 C. Smith Engineer to Win vi. 95/1 Flat panels of honeycomb, either aluminium or glass, make really light and stiff tunnel sides and roofs.
2004 Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nexis) 27 July Hexcel is the US primary producer of composite materials such as honeycomb, prepregs, film adhesives and sandwich panels.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive and similative, as honeycomb cell, honeycomb structure, etc.
ΚΠ
1817 Philos. Trans. Royal Soc. 107 348 This honeycomb structure consists of cells of the greatest depth.
1818 T. Walford Sci. Tourist through Eng., Wales & Scotl. I. 66 Some of the pieces when polished have much the appearance of honey-comb cells, and nearly of the colour.
1873 J. Hogg Skin Dis. 38 These run together and form crusts of an hexagonal, honeycomb shape.
1905 M. W. Morley Butterflies & Bees 209 The drones..do not come from common honeycomb cells.
1933 Pop. Sci. July 84/2 The eye is covered in dots resembling honeycomb construction.
2000 W. K. Wake Design Paradigms x. 206 We find honeycomb structures used in materials meant to span or fill spaces economically.
b. attributive. Designating a fabric or part of a fabric having or decorated with a honeycomb pattern, or made using a honeycomb stitch.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [adjective] > with raised or embossed surface
brocaded1656
brocade1711
honeycomb1818
piqué1858
brochéa1877
matelassé1881
waffle1930
1818 Belle Assemblée May 230/2 Those hats..have a honeycomb trimming at the edge.
1858 Daily Missouri Republican 6 Sept. 1/2 A new material in small check, called ‘honeycomb’ cloth.
1862 Weekly Standard (Raleigh, N. Carolina) 17 Sept. 3/5 (advt.) Unbleached Honeycomb Towels.
1884 Advt. Honeycomb Flannel..for Petticoats and Skirts.
1913 Woman's Home Compan. Sept. 50/2 Number 21 is called rayon de miel, honey-comb crêpe.
1929 T. Woodhouse & A. Brand Towels & Towelling ix. 99 The unbroken diamond in the first unit..is filled in with the 8-thread honeycomb weave.
1996 André de Brett Catal. Autumn 159/2 Early's of Witney honeycomb blanket bound at both ends with taffeta ribbon.
c. attributive with the sense ‘of, relating to, or ornamented with honeycomb work (see honeycomb work n. at Compounds 2)’.
ΚΠ
1838 H. G. Knight Normans in Sicily 272 (note) The honeycomb ornament is common in the alcoves, and vaulted apartments of the Arabians.
a1855 E. Stuart-Wortley Sweet South (1856) II. xxv. 382 The exquisite honeycomb roof of the Hall of the Abencerrages is one of the most admirable things here.
1880 Pottery Gaz. Oct. (Fancy Trades' Suppl.) 2/1 The vases and other ornaments with the hawthorn and honeycomb decorations are particularly neat and striking.
1892 G. N. Curzon Persia II. xix. 39 A deeply recessed archway, vaulted with honeycomb decoration.
1905 R. L. Hobson Catal. Eng. Porcelain Brit. Mus. 33 Pierced honeycomb ornament on neck.
1983 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 29 May x. 14/1 A succession of delights, of intricate Cufic and cursive script, of tile work, of honeycomb cupolas.
1994 Muqarnas 11 22 The author contends that the Cuba vault is related to the Islamic muqarnas, or honeycomb vault.
2009 T. Smith What is Contemp. Art? 81 The fabulous honeycomb ceilings of the Alhambra..are evoked in the upper reaches of the atrium.
C2. † honeycomb scall n. [after scientific Latin tinea favosa (1764 or earlier) or porrigo favosa (1812 or earlier)] Obsolete = honeycomb ringworm n.
honeycomb bag n. = sense 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > [noun] > ruminant > parts of > stomach > second
honeycomb1658
reticulum1658
bonnet1688
king's hood1744
honeycomb bag1809
honeycomb stomach1831
1809 W. Nicholson Brit. Encycl. II. at Comparative anatomy The first stomach..is followed by the second stomach, honeycomb bag, bonnet, or king's hood.
1988 S. W. Tinker Whales of World v. 60 The stomach is divided into the following four chambers: rumen or paunch; reticulum or honeycomb bag;..and the abomasum.
2008 S. Bhattacharya Sci. in Action 8 i. 10 Food enters the rumen and the honeycomb bag where cellulose is acted on by bacteria.
honeycomb coil n. now rare and historical an inductance coil in which the turns are wound obliquely so as to give a criss-cross pattern, reducing capacitive effects.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > [noun] > inductance coil
inductance coil1902
inductance1908
variometer1908
honeycomb coil1921
inductor1928
hum-bucking coil1940
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrically induced magnetism > electromagnetic induction > [noun] > induction coil > types of coil
inductorium1875
Tesla coil1896
basket winding1910
pancake coil1910
honeycomb coil1921
basket coil1923
Helmholtz1962
1921 U.K. Patent 141,344 3 What we claim is:..A honeycomb coil structure as shown.
1959 K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. (ed. 5) iii. 9 Honeycomb coils were a type of universal winding with relatively few, widely spaced turns per layer giving a typical ‘honeycomb’ appearance.
2004 Providence (Rhode Island) Jrnl. (Nexis) 9 May d1 Giblin, the inventor from Pawtucket who patented the honeycomb coil.
honeycomb coral n. chiefly Palaeontology any of various corals having a honeycomb-like pattern, esp. those of the extinct genus Favosites.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Diploblastica > phylum Coelenterata > [noun] > class Anthozoa Actinozoa > fossil > genus Favosites > member of
honeycomb stone1658
honeycomb coral1790
1790 Compan. to Museum (Leverian Mus.) ii. 97 Copper ore intermixed with a fossil honeycomb coral, from Staffordshire.
1873 J. W. Dawson Story Earth & Man v. 91 The Favosites or honeycomb coral, presenting regular hexagonal cells with transverse floors or tabulæ.
1934 Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 37 157 There is an abundance of silicified honeycomb coral and chert in the Niagara limestone.
2012 Whitsunday (Queensland) Times (Nexis) 22 Dec. 12 She saw some massive honeycomb corals spawning at Hardy Reef in November.
honeycomb ground n. Lacemaking and Needlework a ground (ground n. 6a) having a honeycomb pattern.
ΚΠ
1721 Mrs. Bradshaw in Countess of Suffolk Lett. (1824) I. 75 There is one [edging], of a honeycomb ground.
1861 Ladies' Compan., & Monthly Mag. 2nd ser. 19 91/1 A diamond of nine spots, on a honeycomb-ground.
1975 Greenfield (Mass.) Recorder 9 July (Fieldcrest section) 2/1 Multicolored summer-fresh garden flowers spill with abandon over a light blue honeycomb ground.
2001 C. Ducey in P. C. Crews Flowering of Quilts 54/1 A glowing orange rainbow print with a honeycomb ground is used to create a distinctive line that stretches from corner to corner in this Irish chain quilt.
honeycomb limestone n. limestone having numerous small cavities on its surface or internally.
ΚΠ
1815 R. Bakewell Introd. Geol. (ed. 2) 463 Honeycomb lime-stone, a name which conveys a tolerably correct idea of its appearance.
1910 O. E. Meinzer in Water-Supply Paper 254 (U.S. Geol. Surv.) 179 The limestone..is very porous and open, and is sometimes spoken of as ‘honeycomb limestone’.
2004 Herpetol. Monogr. 18 3 U Cay consists of two northern rocky peninsulas of honeycomb limestone.
honeycomb moth n. the wax moth, Galleria mellonella (family Pyralidae), a cosmopolitan pest of beehives. Cf. honey moth n. at honey n. and adj. Compounds 1b(b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Tineidae > member of genus Galleria (honey-moth)
honeycomb moth1758
honey moth1798
hive-moth1931
1758 T. Flloyd & J. Hill tr. J. Swammerdam Bk. Nature ii. 5/1 I have delineated the honey-comb Moth in Tab. XXVI.
1830 J. Rennie Insect Transformations viii. 222 The honeycomb moth..and the honey moth..do very considerable damage to the hives of bees.
1993 B. A. Richardson Wood Preserv. 208/2 The two most important species [of the family Pyralidae] are the Bee moth, Aphomia sociella, and the Honeycomb moth.
2008 West Briton (Nexis) 6 Aug. 44 There is a honeycomb moth whose larvae feed on honeycomb.
honeycomb pattern n. a pattern, esp. of connected hexagons, resembling the structure of honeycomb cells.
ΚΠ
1835 World of Fashion July 156/2 The open work on white silk stockings is more diffused, and the honeycomb pattern certainly preferred.
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 296/1 Honeycomb Pattern. Cast on any number of stitches that divide by six. First row——Knit. Second row——Purl [etc.]. This completes one Honeycomb.
1919 New Armenia Jan. 12/2 A frieze of honeycomb pattern.
2005 P. Kamen All in my Head (2006) xvi. 209 Patients have reported their visual fields being broken up by honeycomb patterns.
honeycomb quartz n. quartz consisting of a hollow mesh of intergrown crystals or containing numerous cell-like divisions.
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1852 Southern Cross (Auckland) 19 Nov. 3/4 It [sc. gold] is in..honeycomb quartz and rotten slate in Virginia.
1887 Colonial & Indian Exhib., London 1886: Rep. Colonial Sections 61 Honeycomb quartz, from Sunny Corner, which is in reality decomposed skeleton nodules of septaria.
1983 Jrnl. Geochemical Explor. 19 650 Cavities produced by incomplete vein filling are numerous within the massive quartz veins and commonly contain honeycomb quartz.
honeycomb quilt n. a quilt made using hexagonal pieces; a quilt having a honeycomb pattern.
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1861 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 26 July (advt.) Marseilles Quilts, Allendale and Honey Comb Quilts.
1913 T. Eaton & Co. Catal. Fall–Winter 131/3 Full Bleached English Honeycomb Quilts..fringed all round..for single beds.
2010 A. K. Shorey Promise of Morning xxvii. 269 Head bent, she stitched something on the back of her honeycomb quilt.
honeycomb radiator n. now chiefly historical a radiator for the engine of a car or other vehicle whose external surface is constructed with a honeycomb-like pattern.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > cooling system or device
radiator1900
honeycomb radiator1904
shutter1918
1904 U.S. Patent 758,695 1/2 A fan [is] located directly to the rear of the honeycomb radiator.
1946 A. W. Judge Mod. Petrol Engines vii. 261 The honeycomb radiator, which has been so widely used in automobile and aircraft work.
2005 R. Dick Mercedes & Auto Racing ix. 78 The French asked permission to produce the 5-liter Simplex and the honeycomb radiator under license.
honeycomb ringworm n. [after scientific Latin tinea favosa or porrigo favosa (see honeycomb scall n.)] now rare a chronic and severe form of ringworm forming a pattern of yellowish crusts thought to resemble honeycomb; = favus n.; cf. earlier honeycomb scall n.
ΚΠ
1847 E. Wilson On Ringworm p. xiii In the following pages I shall first describe the Crusted or Honeycomb Ringworm, or favus.
1929 Davenport Democrat & Leader (Iowa) 24 Jan. 9/6 Honeycomb ringworm..is contagious and you must be very careful not to use towels, combs or brushes of others.
1999 M. T. Scali-Snipes Milady's Standard Textbk. Professional Barber-Styling (rev. ed.) vi. 144 Honeycomb ringworm is an infectious growth caused by a vegetable parasite.
honeycomb rock n. rock having numerous small cavities on its surface or internally; cf. honeycomb limestone n.
ΚΠ
1774 E. Long Hist. Jamaica I. ii. iv. 474 There are in general a coarse reddish grit, honeycomb rock, pebbles, coarse gravel or sand from the river-courses, and gullies.
1869 J. G. Sawkins Rep. Geol. Jamaica 146 Everywhere the white limestone is met with, its surface is full of inequalities, hence the name of ‘honeycomb rock’ is given to it by the inhabitants of the island generally.
1913 U.S. Geol. Surv. Water Supply Paper 317 40 Water was found in a clay or quicksand formation underlying a ‘honeycomb’ rock, probably a sandstone.
2006 Oroville (Calif.) Mercury Reg. (Nexis) 5 Nov. As the aquifers empty the honeycomb rocks are crushed by overhead weight.
honeycomb sandwich n. a layer of honeycomb (sense 7b) with sheeting on both faces; frequently attributive.
ΚΠ
1947 Sci. News Let. 20 Dec. 397/2 The favorite type is the honeycomb sandwich.
1964 S. S. Oleesky & J. G. Mohr Handbk. Reinforced Plastics ix. 492 Honeycomb sandwich flooring is currently being used in large computer room applications.
2008 Western Mail (Cardiff) (Nexis) 18 June 7 The machinery and systems are used to manufacture bonded sandwich panels and honeycomb sandwich panels.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of visible parts > skin disorders > [noun] > ring-worm or favus
achorOE
scalled-head1340
motha1398
tinea1398
serpigoc1400
ringworma1425
scald1561
tetterworm1622
surpeguea1632
serpentine1639
scald head1673
favus1706
honeycomb scall1817
dhobie itch1890
trichophytosis1890
scaly ringworm1898
whitehead1911
athlete's foot1928
1817 J. M. Good Physiol. Syst. Nosol. 487 [Porrigo] favosa... Honey-comb Scall or Tetter.
1830 London Med. Gaz. 6 164/2 These encrustations..have been compared to the appearance of honeycomb: hence the name porrigo favosa—honeycomb scall.
1867 J. Hogg Microscope (ed. 6) ii. i. 296 It is commonly called cupped ringworm, or honeycomb scall, but it is very rarely seen in this metropolis.
honeycomb sponge n. any of various marine sponges (in either their natural or dried state) which have some resemblance to honeycomb.
ΚΠ
1759 Philos. Trans. 1758 (Royal Soc.) 50 590 Spongia Americana favo similis; The honey-comb sponge of Plumier.
1874 R. Bentley & T. Redwood Pereira's Materia Medica (new ed.) 1015 Turkey Sponge,..the common variety is called honeycomb sponge.
1916 H. B. Gardner Man. Surg. Anat. (ed. 2) x. 122 A honeycomb sponge the size of an orange (which has been freshly squeezed out from warm water).
1994 Daily News (Galveston, Texas) 28 July a10/4–5 If you purchase either of the two Biolage body washes, you get a European honeycomb sponge at half-price.
2009 P. Murphy John Revelator ii. 29 A good honeycomb sponge bath would sort you out.
honeycomb stitch n. Knitting and Needlework any of various types of decorative stitches used in knitting, embroidery, etc., to make a honeycomb pattern.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > gathered work > stitch used for
honeycomb stitch1882
1838 Workwoman's Guide: Instr. Apparel 277 Set on 100 stitches, and knit either in one or two colours, seven nails of raised French stitch, or honeycomb-stitch.
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 184/2 Honeycomb Stitch. This stitch is used to draw together in an ornamental pattern the gathers upon the neck and sleeves of smock frocks, and also for all kinds of decorative gathering.
1995 P. Nottingham Technique Bobbin Lace (new ed.) iv. 140 The Church Window pattern has been adapted, and honeycomb stitches used instead of ground.
honeycomb stomach n. = sense 5.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > [noun] > ruminant > parts of > stomach > second
honeycomb1658
reticulum1658
bonnet1688
king's hood1744
honeycomb bag1809
honeycomb stomach1831
1831 J. F. South tr. A. W. Otto Pathol. Anat. ii. xix. 281 A piece of iron wire it had swallowed ulcerated through the honeycomb stomach.
1955 F. G. Ashbrook Butchering i. 4 He..was particularly fond of the honeycomb stomach, or tripe.
2007 P. Botes et al. Animal Production i. 14 The reticulum is also known as the honeycomb stomach, because its lining looks like a honeycomb.
honeycomb stone n. now rare. fossilized honeycomb coral of the genus Favosites (formerly Favaginites); (also) any of several other types of rock resembling honeycomb.Cf. honeycomb coral n., honeycomb limestone n., honeycomb rock n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Diploblastica > phylum Coelenterata > [noun] > class Anthozoa Actinozoa > fossil > genus Favosites > member of
honeycomb stone1658
honeycomb coral1790
1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 122 Observable rudiments there are hereof in subterraneous concretions, and bodies in the Earth;..in the Favaginites or honey-comb-stone.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Honeycomb-Stone.
1842 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 3 ii. 184 There are many other cases in point, such as the use of the honeycomb-stone..as a manure in Devonshire and Scotland.
1904 Queensland Govt. Mining Jrnl. 5 94 (table) Brown honeycomb stone.
2010 J. Francis Cloudehill ii. 84 The honeycomb stone we collected was a uniform dove-grey in colour.
honeycomb tripe n. the reticulum of a ruminant (see sense 5), prepared as food. Cf. tripe n.1 1.
ΚΠ
1709 W. King Useful Trans. in Philos. Mar.–Apr. 53 He should see..all the various Mazes of the Honey-comb-Tripe in Perfection.
1890 Good Housek. 29 Mar. 244/1 You may see a nice piece of honey-comb tripe which will make a nice dish for breakfast.
1998 Independent 6 June (Mag.) 53/1 You will usually find sweetbreads in Blythe Road towards the end of the week, along with honeycomb tripe.
honeycomb wall n. Building a (brick) wall containing numerous small openings close together at regular intervals.
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society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > specific parts built or constructed > [noun] > wall > types of
mud walla1395
ground-wall1712
retaining wall1771
cob wall1790
wing-wall1791
honeycomb wall1850
toe wall1934
1850 R. S. Burn Pract. Archit. as applied to Farm Buildings iii. 116 Stone..gives great temptations to the workmen to build what may be called ‘honeycomb’ walls, anything but sound and solid in their interior, however solid they may appear to be externally.
1913 G. G. Samson Every Man his own Builder iii. 108 Some people build them [sc. sleeper walls] as ‘honeycomb’ walls.
2012 Star (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 2 June (Entertainment section) 11 An exposed site can be made more sheltered by erecting a honeycomb wall..to filter the wind.
honeycomb work n. (a) a natural structure, decoration, ornamentation, etc., having a honeycomb pattern, or made to resemble honeycomb in some way; (b) Architecture ornamentation on a ceiling (esp. of a dome or arch) consisting of clusters of small vaulted arches arranged intricately in overhanging tiers, typical of Moorish architecture (cf. stalactite n. 3).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > gathered work
honeycomb work1724
honeycombing1889
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > pendants
pendant1506
honeycomb1838
honeycomb work1839
pendentive1845
pendanting1851
stalactite1851
wall-piece1860
stalactite-work1902
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > interlaced
fretc1385
friar knots1488
chainwork1551
knot1638
Gordian knotc1660
meander1706
entrelac1723
triquetra1845
knotwork1851
strapwork1854
Celtic knot1865
snake-knot1866
aligreek1867
plaitwork1871
honeycomb work1874
strap-ornament1895
honeycomb1924
1724 W. Stukeley Of Spleen 19 The substance of the spleen is an artful composure of caverns and honeycomb-work made by the arteries, veins and fibrous pillars or little muscles delicately enterlac'd one among another.
1789 J. Pilkington View Derbyshire I. v. 198 Astroites, coral, of tubular texture, with small stars on the surface, and honeycomb-work within side.
1839 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 79 The vaulted part of the recesses is covered with elaborate specimens of that honeycomb work which is so common in the Alhambra.
1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd I. ix. 127 Snow-white smock-frocks..marked on the wrists, breasts, backs, and sleeves with honeycomb-work.
1900 New Cabinet Cycl. VII. 339/1 The use of clustered pendentives (honeycomb work) to form a transition from the quadrangular area under a dome to the arch of the dome itself.
2007 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 3 Apr. b4 The home..features elaborate honeycomb work on the foyer ceiling.
Derivatives
ˈhoneycomb-like adj.
ΚΠ
1721 P. Rose Theorico-Pract. Treat. Plague 28 The Anthrax was of a livid colour, Honey-comb like, and..seemed to have a tendency to separate from the ambient parts.
1839 Gardener's Mag. 5 210 Several large bushes..stood upon the turf, and, when covered with their golden balls of honeycomb-like blossoms, they were beautiful objects.
1929 Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune 31 Oct. 12/6 Back of the ear and opening into the middle ear are honeycomb-like cavities in the bone.
2004 D. Yeadon Seasons in Basilicata vi. 217 The graves I found hardest to stomach were the rows and rows of burial-box loculi..racked up in square honeycomb-like structures, often twenty or more feet high.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
honeycombv.
/ˈhʌnɪkəʊm/, U.S. /ˈhəniˌkoʊm/ 1.
a. transitive. To fill with cells, cavities, or perforations resembling those of a honeycomb; to render cavernous, hollow, or insubstantial in this way. Also: to form or excavate mines or passages under. Frequently in passive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > make hollow [verb (transitive)] > make full of cavities
pot1487
honeycomb1735
cellulate1839
vesiculate1865
cellularize1948
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > make many holes in
riddle1511
mesh1667
colander1715
honeycomb1735
to make a riddle of1749
sieve1839
mole1856
1735 W. Ellis London & Country Brewer I. xiv. 91 Such Wheat..has eat into the very Wood of the Cask, and there Hony-comb'd it by making little hollow Cavities in the Staves.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 67 If it had been honey-combed by worms in the quarry.
1834 T. Medwin Angler in Wales I. 163 I have known tents..completely honeycombed in a very few weeks.
1860 All Year Round 20 Oct. 30 The drains may honeycomb the basement and not remove the refuse passed into them.
1877 Q. Jrnl. Sci. Jan. 141 The plan of operations was..to honeycomb the whole rocky mass by excavation.
1901 F. Norris Octopus ii. iii. 271 The ground was honeycombed with gopher holes.
1975 J. Clavell Shogun (1980) lvii. 1063 A maze of forgotten cellars and passages honeycombing the castle.
2001 Sport Diver Feb. 63/2 The island's limestone base is honeycombed with a system of freshwater caves, caverns, tunnels and underground rivers.
b. intransitive. To become filled with cells, cavities, or perforations so as to resemble a honeycomb; to become cavernous, hollow, or insubstantial. Also figurative. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > become hollow [verb (intransitive)] > become full of cavities
honeycomb1841
1841 S. Clegg Pract. Treat. on Manuf. & Distrib. of Coal-gas 106 Welsh bricks are liable to ‘honeycomb’ when heated.
1851 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 12 ii. 382 Peat land is subject to ‘honey-comb’, or contract when dried by frost.
1879 S. Baring-Gould Germany II. 179 Floating dogmas..all imperceptibly, yet certainly, honeycombing and melting away.
1892 W. W. Greener Breech-loader 9 Good steel barrels have the following advantages over the Damascus barrels: they are less liable to honeycomb from the corrosive action of gunpowder.
1941 J. Agee & W. Evans Let us now praise Famous Men ii. 348 The clay honeycombs with frost.
2. transitive. To decorate with honeycomb work or with a honeycomb pattern. Chiefly in passive.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > pattern [verb (transitive)] > interlaced
fretish1601
fret1604
raddle1671
honeycomb1820
1820 Ladies' Monthly Museum May 292 The sleeve is short; it is composed of tulle, and is honeycombed with blue silk cord.
1892 Amer. Architect & Building News 5 Nov. 88/2 The idea is of arches honeycombed with niches.
1918 M. Gyte Diary 23 Apr. (1999) 172 Aunt H is honeycombing Ethel's new white dress.
2002 C. McCullough October Horse 76 There were no complicated cornices or ceilings honeycombed with detail.
3. figurative.† b. intransitive. With away. To weaken something by undermining. Obsolete. rare.
a. transitive. To penetrate through and through, esp. so as to render hollow, rotten, or weak; to undermine. Frequently in passive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > cause or effect (harm) [verb (transitive)] > do harm or injury to > gradually or secretly
undergoc1000
minec1422
undercreepa1440
cankera1450
undermine1565
cankerfret1585
sap1711
honeycomb1821
white-ant1905
submarine1917
sabotage1918
undercut1955
monkeywrench1986
the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [verb (transitive)] > in quality or character
defade1423
debase1569
deteriorate1572
welk1579
bastardize1587
invile1599
winter1622
disimprove1642
degenerate1645
deterior1646
imbastardize1649
degrade1652
honeycomb1821
travesty1825
1821 Trial at Large of Her Majesty Caroline Amelia Elizabeth I. 384 The evidence..has already been circulated not merely to be read, but to honeycomb the mind with impressions that may never be effaced.
1878 P. Bayne Chief Actors Puritan Revol. xi. 477 His theory is here again honeycombed by his own averments of fact.
1906 E. H. Moorhouse Nelson's Lady Hamilton vii. 112 French agents and spies..honeycombed her kingdom.
1949 Bull. Atomic Scientists June 181/1 Hysterical political operators were telling the American people that their Government was honeycombed..with disloyal employees.
2003 N. Miller New World Coming v. 115 Warren Harding realized his administration was honeycombed with corruption.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > do harm [verb (intransitive)] > gradually or secretly
honeycomb1868
monkeywrench1983
the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [verb (intransitive)] > in quality or character
forworthc1000
wearc1275
spilla1300
defadec1325
pall?c1335
forlinec1374
sinka1500
degender1539
degener1545
degenerate1545
dwindle1598
degenerize1606
disflourish1640
deflourish1656
waste1669
tarnish1678
devolve1830
honeycomb1868
bastardize1878
slush1882
1868 Pall Mall Gaz. 30 Dec. 5/1 The very same man who has been honeycombing away at the..cranky old Ottoman empire.
4. transitive. Building. To build (a wall) as a honeycomb wall. Chiefly in passive. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > build or provide with specific parts [verb (transitive)] > provide with wall(s) > build or repair wall in specific way
windc900
quarter1580
stuff1601
honeycomb1908
1908 C. F. Mitchell Brickwork & Masonry (ed. 2) ii. 103 To facilitate the circulation of air beneath the basement floors, these walls are usually honeycombed.
1964 E. C. Adams Sci. in Building I. v. 170 This [sc. ventilation] can be done..by ‘honeycombing’ sleeper walls.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.OEv.1735