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conch

[ kongk, konch ]
/ kɒŋk, kɒntʃ /
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noun, plural conchs [kongks], /kɒŋks/, con·ches [kon-chiz]. /ˈkɒn tʃɪz/.
the spiral shell of a gastropod, often used as a horn.
any of various marine gastropods.
the fabled shell trumpet of the Tritons.
(often initial capital letter)Slang: Sometimes Disparaging.
  1. a term used to refer to a native or inhabitant of the Florida Keys.
  2. a term used to refer to a Bahamian.
Also concha .Architecture. a smooth concave surface consisting of or resembling the interior of a semidome, as the surface of a vault, a trompe, or the head of a niche.
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Origin of conch

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin concha<Greek kónchē mussel, shell

usage note for conch

Conch is usually a neutral nickname or term of self-reference for any person living in the Florida Keys or the Bahamas, where conch (the flesh of the gastropod) is a popular food. However, the nickname conch is sometimes used with disparaging intent when specifically referring to a person of Bahamian ancestry living in the Florida Keys. And Loyalists who fled to the Bahamas during the Revolutionary War used the nickname conch to refer disparagingly to a native or early settler of the Bahamas.

OTHER WORDS FROM conch

conch·ate [kong-keyt, kon-cheyt], /ˈkɒŋ keɪt, ˈkɒn tʃeɪt/, conched, adjective

Other definitions for conch (2 of 2)

conch-
variant of concho- before a vowel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to conch

clam, crawfish, crustacean, lobster, mollusk, mussel, oyster, prawn, scallop, shrimp, snail, barnacle, crayfish, piddock, whelk

How to use conch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for conch

conch
/ (kɒŋk, kɒntʃ) /
noun plural conchs (kɒŋks) or conches (ˈkɒntʃɪz)
any of various tropical marine gastropod molluscs of the genus Strombus and related genera, esp S. gigas (giant conch), characterized by a large brightly coloured spiral shell
the shell of such a mollusc, used as a trumpet
architect another name for concha (def. 2)

Word Origin for conch

C16: from Latin concha, from Greek konkhē shellfish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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