pecten

UK: /ˈpɛktɪn/ US: (pek′tən)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

pec•ten  (pek′tən), n., pl. -tens, -ti•nes 

(-tə nēz′). 
1. Anatomy, Zoology, Anatomy [Zool., Anat.]
   • a comblike part or process.
   • a pigmented vascular membrane with parallel folds suggesting the teeth of a comb, projecting into the vitreous humor of the eye in birds and reptiles.
2. Invertebrates any bivalve mollusk of the genus Pecten;
   scallop.

• Latin pecten comb, rake, scallop, pubes, akin to pectere, Greek pékein to comb, card
• Middle English 1350–1400

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pecten / ˈpɛktɪn/ noun ( -tens, -tines / -tɪˌniːz/)

1. a comblike structure in the eye of birds and reptiles, consisting of a network of blood vessels projecting inwards from the retina, which it is thought to supply with oxygen
2. any other comblike part or organ

Etymology: 18th Century: from Latin: a comb, from pectere, related to Greek pekein to comb