COMBE

combe, or coomb, a term particularly in use in south-western england for a short closed-in valley, either on the side of a down or running up from the sea. it appears in place-names as a termination, e.g. wiveliscombe, ilfracombe, and as a prefix, e.g. combemartin. the etymology of the word is obscure, but "hollow" seems a common meaning to similar forms in many languages. in english "combe" or "cumb" is an obsolete word for a "hollow vessel," and the like meaning attached to teutonic forms _kumm_ and _kumme_. the welsh _cwm_, in place-names, means hollow or valley, with which may be compared _cum_ in many scots place-names. the greek [greek: kumbe] also means a hollow vessel, and there is a french dialect word _combe_ meaning a little valley.