Honeycomb
/ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/noun
A mass of hexagonal wax cells made by bees to store honey and larvae.
Did you know?The second half of honeycomb comes from Old English cumb, a word for a hollow or vessel, so the image behind it is essentially a honey-filled container shaped by bees.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hunigcamb
“a comb or hive structure filled with honey”
Old English
OE
hunig
“honey”
Old English
OE
camb
“comb; a toothed instrument; by extension, a honeycomb”
Middle English
ME
honycombe
“a honeycomb”
Modern English
English
honeycomb
“a wax structure of hexagonal cells made by bees”