CONCH

conch

(noun) any of various edible tropical marine gastropods of the genus Strombus having a brightly-colored spiral shell with large outer lip

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

Conch (plural Conchs or Conches)

(dated, ethnic slur) A British Bahamian.

Etymology

Noun

conch (plural conches or conchs)

A marine gastropod of the family Strombidae which lives in its own spiral shell.

The shell of this sea animal.

A musical instrument made from a large spiral seashell, somewhat like a trumpet.

(architecture) The semidome of an apse, or the apse itself.

synonym of concher

Verb

conch (third-person singular simple present conches, present participle conching, simple past and past participle conched)

To refine the flavour and texture of chocolate by warming and grinding, either in a traditional concher, or between rollers.

To play a conch seashell as a musical instrument, by blowing through a hole made close to the origin of the spiral.

Source: Wiktionary

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Conch, n. Etym: [L. concha, Gr. Coach, n.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A name applied to various marine univalve shells; esp. to those of the genus Strombus, which are of large size. S. gigas is the large pink West Indian conch. The large king, queen, and cameo conchs are of the genus Cassis. See Cameo.

Note: The conch is sometimes used as a horn or trumpet, as in fogs at sea, or to call laborers from work.

2. In works of art, the shell used by Tritons as a trumpet.

3. One of the white natives of the Bahama Islands or one of their descendants in the Florida Keys; -- so called from the commonness of the conch there, or because they use it for food.

4. (Arch.)

Definition: See Concha, n.

5. The external ear. See Concha, n., 2.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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