conch
IPA/kɑːŋk/conch — noun
- conchsingular
- conchesplural
1. a warm-water sea animal with a soft body and a big curved shell, whose meat is e
a warm-water sea animal with a soft body and a big curved shell, whose meat is eaten in Caribbean and Pacific cooking.
Apinya served grilled conch with lime juice at her beach restaurant.
uncountable: conch as a food item
Local divers in the Bahamas search the reef for conches every morning.
countable plural: conches (the animals)
Andrei chopped the fresh conch into small pieces for the seafood salad.
The tour guide warned the children not to touch live conches on the sand.
用法筆記
Often appears as a food noun on menus (conch fritters, conch chowder); plural is usually 'conches'. Distinguish from sense 2 by context: a live animal in water, not an empty shell.
常見錯誤
2. the big, curling outer shell of this animal, which can be blown into to make a d
the big, curling outer shell of this animal, which can be blown into to make a deep horn-like sound, often used in religious ceremonies or as a signal across long distances.
At sunrise on Holi, Joaquín blew the conch three times from the temple roof.
blow the conch — typical verb for signalling or ceremony
A polished conch sat on the desk beside Ayana's collection of beach finds.
A fisherman blew a long note on the conch to call boats back to the harbour.
Quinn pressed an ear against the conch and listened for the sound of the sea.
- conch shell
more explicit form; same referent
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 by referring to the empty shell (often as a musical instrument, decorative object, or symbol of authority), not the living animal. Also commonly written 'conch shell' even when 'conch' alone would do.
3. the deep, curved bowl in the centre of the outer ear, shaped like a small spiral
the deep, curved bowl in the centre of the outer ear, shaped like a small spiral shell; some people get this area pierced for body jewelry.
Shirin asked the piercer to put a small gold stud through her conch.
conch piercing as body jewelry
The doctor pointed to the conch and explained why Eitan's hearing aid kept slipping out.
A specialist in Tokyo studied how the conch directs sound waves into the ear canal.
After the swim, Hiro felt itching deep in the conch of his right ear.
- concha
the standard anatomical / medical term; 'conch' is the informal form
用法筆記
Anatomical term, more commonly written 'concha' in medical texts; 'conch' is the everyday form among piercers and body-jewelry shops. The word here is named after the shell shape in sense 2.