ˈkäŋk, ˈkänch also ˈkȯŋk — -ŋk is usual near waters where the conch occurs and hence in sense 3 noun
( plural conchs -ŋks ; or conch·es -nchə̇z)
Etymology: Latin concha, from Greek konchē; akin to Sanskrit śaṅkha conch
1.
a.
(1) : any of various large spiral-shelled marine gastropod mollusks ; especially : any member of the genera Strombus and Cassis of the south Atlantic coast of No. America and the West Indies — see horse conch , king conch , queen conch
(2) : the shell of a conch often used for cutting cameos and formerly made into horns
(3) : the animal body of a conch as distinguished from its inanimate shelly parts ; especially : the body as an article of food
fried conch is a tasty dish
b. : something resembling a conch (as a shell-shaped ornament) or made from a conch (as a horn)
2. : the portion of the shell of a tetrabranch cephalopod mollusk that is developed after the embryonic shell
3. often capitalized
a. : a resident native of the Bahamas
b. : any of various persons resident in the Florida keys and nearby parts of the mainland ; especially : one of Bahaman ancestry — often used disparagingly; compare cracker 5
4. : concha 2b(1)
5. : bracket 3c
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conch 1
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