Brewer's: German Comb

The four fingers and thumb. “Se pygnoit du pygne d' Almaing” (Rabelais,) He combed his hair with his fingers. Oudin, in his Dictionnaire, explains pygne d' Aleman by “los dedos et la dita.” The Germans were the last to adopt periwigs, and while the French were never seen without a comb in one hand, the Germans adjusted their hair by running their fingers through it.

“He apparelled himself according to the season, and afterwards combed his head with an Alman comb.” —Rabelais: Gargantua and Pantagruel, book i. 21.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language