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conch

Syllabification: (conch)
Pronunciation: /käNGk, känCH, kôNGk/
Definition of conch

noun (plural conchs /käNGks, kôNGks/ or conches /ˈkänCHiz/)

  • 1 (also conch shell) a tropical marine mollusk with a spiral shell that may bear long projections and have a flared lip.
    • Strombus and other genera, family Strombidae, class Gastropoda
  • a conch shell blown like a trumpet to produce a musical note, often depicted as played by Tritons and other mythological figures.
  • 2 Architecture the roof of a semicircular apse, shaped like half a dome.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin concha 'shellfish, shell', from Greek konkhē 'mussel, cockle, or shell-like cavity'

conch in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of conch in the British & World English dictionary

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