Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

honeycomb

/ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.94 in modern English

Syllables
hon-ey-comb
IPA
/ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/
21
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A substance made by bees (clade Anthophila) primarily from beeswax which has hexagonal cells to hold their larvae, and for storing pollen and honey to feed the larvae and themselves when other food is scarce; it is also eaten by humans as part of comb-honey; (countable) a single sheet made up of two layers of this substance.

Uncountable

noun

Something resembling honeycomb (noun sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.

Countable

noun

Something resembling honeycomb (noun sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.

Countable

noun

Something resembling honeycomb (noun sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Something resembling honeycomb (noun sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.

Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

noun

Something resembling honeycomb (noun sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Something resembling honeycomb (noun sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.

Countable

noun

Something resembling honeycomb (noun sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

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”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: honycomb, huniġcamb, *kn̥h₂ónks, *ǵómbʰos

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/
  • British English: /ˈhʌnikəʊm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

honeycombs (plural) honey-comb (alternative, dated) honeycombs (present, singular) honeycombing (participle, present) honeycombed (participle, past) honeycombed (past)

Derived Forms

honeycomblike hyperhoneycomb nanohoneycomb honeycombed honeycombing

Phrases

comb-honey fungus comb honeycomb coil honeycomb conjecture honeycomb coral honeycomb ground honeycomb Izak honeycomb limestone

Frequently Paired Words

cell favaginous beeswax

Synonyms

muqarnas

Questions

How do you pronounce honeycomb?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/.
What does honeycomb mean?
A substance made by bees (clade Anthophila) primarily from beeswax which has hexagonal cells to hold their larvae, and for storing pollen and honey to feed the larvae and themselves when other food is scarce; it is also eaten by humans as part of comb-honey; (countable) a single sheet made up of two layers of this substance.
Where does honeycomb come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce honeycomb

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “honeycomb”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “honeycomb”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “honeycomb” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.