Do the spaces between the teeth of a comb have a name?

According to Google, they are called "Umpernaters," but I can't find that word anywhere in dictionaries, so I'm tempted to think it's just a legend.

Is there a real term?

Solution 1:

It appears that umpernater (rather than umpernator) is a term sometimes used. The only reputable example that I found is from Wetland Archaeology and Beyond: Theory and Practice, by Francesco Menotti: Possibly it is a Latin term, rather than a recognized English word.

Interstices (“A small opening or space between objects, especially adjacent objects or objects set closely together, as between cords in a rope or components of a multiconductor electrical cable or between atoms in a crystal”), as suggested in previous answer and in comments, is a term with a better chance of being recognized.

Solution 2:

What about "interstices," meaning small, narrow, intervening spaces? Of course, this word isn't specific to combs, but it seems to fit.

I'm not finding "umpernators," either. Could you provide the link to the source for this word?

Solution 3:

The word redd means clearing a space or putting in order by separating. Sometimes, according to the OED, combs were referred to as redding-combs.

I personally would call the space between the teeth of a comb a rut. It's the furrow or gap left between the hard material.