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conch

/ˈkɒŋk/ noun

Latin root: concha Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about conch at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A marine gastropod of the family Strombidae which lives in its own spiral shell.
  2. The shell of this sea animal.
  3. A musical instrument made from a large spiral seashell, somewhat like a trumpet.

verb

  1. To refine the flavour and texture of chocolate by warming and grinding, either in a traditional concher, or between rollers.
  2. To play a conch seashell as a musical instrument, by blowing through a hole made close to the origin of the spiral.

Origin

Borrowed from Latin concha, borrowed from Ancient Greek κόγχη (kónkhē, “a mussel or cockle; a shell-like cavity”). Doublet of concha.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)