conch

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkɒŋk/, /ˈkɒnt͡ʃ/ (UK); /ˈkɑŋk/, /ˈkɑnt͡ʃ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English conche,^[2] borrowed from Latin concha (“shellfish, mussel; shell”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek κόγχη (kónkhē, “mussel, cockle”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} perhaps related to Sanskrit śaṅkha “conch shell”,^[4][5] or else from a pre-Greek word.^[4] The earlier English forms conke and congh reflect the English pronunciation of Latin concha with k.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A shallow bowl (1391);^[3] a shellfish, originally a bivalve such as a mussel or oyster (1398).^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

From the 18th century the word was used chiefly of large gastropods with spiral shells,^[4][7] and of such a shell used as a horn, as in Hindu temples and on West Indian plantations, or as the trumpet of the mythical Tritons (1764).^[7][6] In architecture a conch is the domed roof of an apse (1849).^[7][6] As a nickname for natives of the Florida Keys, from their eating conch flesh, it dates from at least 1833.^[4][7]

Timeline

• 1391 – a shallow bowl.^[3]
• 1398 – a shellfish.^[7]
• 1764 – a shell used as a horn.^[7]
• 1774 – the spiral shell of a mollusc.^[7]
• 1833 – a native of the Florida Keys.^[7][4]
• 1849 – the semidome of an apse.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of various large tropical marine gastropods, especially of the genus Strombus, with a large spiral shell and edible flesh.
2. The shell of such a mollusc, used as an ornament, for cameos, or blown as a horn.
3. (architecture) The half-dome of an apse.
4. (often capitalized) A native or resident of the Florida Keys.

Word family

• conchology

Related words

• congius
• concha
• cockle
• mussel

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press