combing
とかす
解説 Definition
combing は comb（くしでとかす）の現在分詞・動名詞です。髪や毛をくしで整えている動作、またはその行為を表します。
The present participle and gerund of comb, meaning passing a comb through hair, fur, or a similar material to remove tangles and arrange it neatly. It can describe an action in progress or the activity considered generally.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
comb「くしでとかす」の語末 b は発音せず /koʊm/ ですが、綴りでは b を残して -ing を付け、combing /ˈkoʊmɪŋ/ となります。comb her hair、comb the dog’s fur の進行中の動作や、「髪・毛のもつれをくしで整える行為」と結び付けて覚えましょう。
Connect combing with the base verb comb, meaning to draw a toothed tool through hair or fur. The final b in comb is silent, but it remains in the spelling when -ing is added: combing, pronounced /ˈkoʊmɪŋ/. Picture someone combing her hair before school or carefully combing a dog’s fur every day. The form can appear in a progressive verb phrase, such as is combing, or as a gerund naming the activity. Brushing is similar, but combing specifically highlights the use or action of a comb.
例文
She is combing her hair before school.
彼女は学校へ行く前に髪をとかしています。
He spent a few minutes combing the child's wet hair.
彼は数分かけて子どものぬれた髪をとかしました。
Combing the dog's fur every day keeps it neat.
犬の毛を毎日とかすと、きれいに整った状態を保てます。
combing の類義語・関連語
combing の語源・成り立ち Etymology
語源は古英語の動詞cemban（とかす）に遡り、名詞camb（歯つき櫛）から派生しています。接尾辞-ingが動作の進行を示し、櫛で髪をほぐすように「細部まで行き渡らせる・丁寧に整理する」という意味に納得できます。同根語にhoneycomb（ハチの巣）があります。
Combing is formed from comb by adding the participial and gerund suffix -ing. Comb comes from Old English camb, the noun for a toothed grooming tool, while the related Old English verb cemban meant to comb. The modern spelling preserves a final b that is no longer pronounced. The same noun also appears in honeycomb, whose repeated cells resemble or historically evoke the toothed structure of a comb, although the everyday verbal sense here concerns grooming hair or fur.
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