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conch

(kŏngk, kŏnch)

n. pl. conchs (kŏngks) or conch·es (kŏnchĭz)

1. Any of various tropical marine gastropod mollusks chiefly of the family Strombidae, having edible flesh and a large spiral shell often with a flared lip.

2. The shell of one of these gastropod mollusks, used as an ornament, in making cameos, or as a horn.

3. Anatomy See concha.

[Middle English conche, from Old French, from Latin concha, mussel, from Greek konkhē.]

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conch

queen conch

Strombus gigas

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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