concha

See also: Concha

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin concha (“a mussel shell”). Doublet of conch.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈkɒŋ.kə/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkɑŋ.kə/
  • Rhymes: (Received Pronunciation) -ɒŋkə, (General American) -ɑŋkə

Noun

concha (plural conchae or (archaic) conchæ)

  1. Any shell-shaped structure:
    • 2020 October 19, Miriam Jordan, “Migrant Workers Restricted to Farms Under One Grower’s Virus Lockdown”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 February 2026:
      In Virginia, gone are the weekly outings to Walmart to stock up on provisions; to El Ranchito, the Mexican convenience store, to buy shell-shaped concha pastries; and to the laundromat to machine wash heavily soiled garments.
    1. (anatomy) The deepest indentation of the cartilage of the human ear, attaching to the mastoid bone and leading to its central opening.
    2. (anatomy) Ellipsis of nasal concha.
  2. (architecture) An apse, or the plain semidome of an apse.
Derived terms

References

Etymology 2

Noun

concha

  1. Alternative form of kankar.

Etymology 3

Noun

concha (plural conchas)

  1. Alternative form of concho (“type of ornament”).

Anagrams

Interlingua

Noun

concha (plural conchas)

  1. Conch shell.
  2. External ear.

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    concha f (genitive conchae); first declension

    1. A bivalve shellfish; a mollusk; a conch
      • c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 2.346–353:
        Quod superest, quaecumque premes virgulta per agros,
        Sparge fimo pingui et multa memor occule terra,
        Aut lapidem bibulum aut squalentis infode conchas;
        Inter enim labentur aquae tenuisque subibit
        Halitus atque animos tollent sata; iamque reperti,
        Qui saxo super atque ingentis pondere testae
        Urgerent; hoc effusos munimen ad imbris,
        Hoc, ubi hiulca siti findit canis aestifer arva.
        • Translation by James B. Greenough
          For the rest, whate'er
          The sets thou plantest in thy fields, thereon
          Strew refuse rich, and with abundant earth
          Take heed to hide them, and dig in withal
          Rough shells or porous stone, for therebetween
          Will water trickle and fine vapour creep,
          And so the plants their drooping spirits raise.
          Aye, and there have been, who with weight of stone
          Or heavy potsherd press them from above;
          This serves for shield in pelting showers, and this
          When the hot dog-star chaps the fields with drought.
      1. A pearl oyster.
        1. A pearl.
      2. The purple-fish.
    2. A mussel shell.
      1. A snailshell.
      2. The Triton's trumpet, in form like a snailshell.
    3. Objects in the form of a mussel shell:
    4. A vessel for holding oil, unguents, salt, etc.
    5. synonym of cunnus

    Declension

    First-declension noun.

    singular plural
    nominative concha conchae
    genitive conchae conchārum
    dative conchae conchīs
    accusative concham conchās
    ablative conchā conchīs
    vocative concha conchae

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • Italo-Dalmatian:
      • Italian: conca
      • Neapolitan: conga
      • Sicilian: conca
      • Venetan: conca
    • Gallo-Italic:
    • Northern Gallo-Romance:
    • Southern Gallo-Romance:
    • Ibero-Romance:
    • Borrowings:

    References

    • “concha”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
    • “concha”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
    • "concha", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
    • “concha”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
    • “concha”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

    Portuguese

    Etymology

    From Vulgar Latin *concla, from Latin conchula, diminutive of concha, from Ancient Greek κόγχη (kónkhē), from Proto-Indo-European *kongʰo-[1]

    Pronunciation

    • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈkõ.ʃɐ/
     

    Noun

    concha f (plural conchas)

    1. seashell
    2. the shell of any mollusk
    3. scoop; ladle (specialised spoon for serving)

    Derived terms

    • conchado
    • concharia
    • concheado
    • conchear
    • concheira
    • conchoso

    References

    1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “conch”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

    Further reading

    Spanish

    Etymology

    Etymology tree
    Pre-Greekbor.?
    Ancient Greek κόγχη (kónkhē)bor.
    Latin concha
    Proto-Indo-European *-lós
    Proto-Indo-European *-elós
    Proto-Italic *-elos
    Latin -ula
    Latin conchula
    Old Spanish concha
    Spanish concha

      From Old Spanish concha, from Latin conchula, diminutive of concha, from Ancient Greek κόγχη (kónkhē, “mussel”). Cognate with cuenca (“basin, socket”).

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˈkont͡ʃa/ [ˈkõnʲ.t͡ʃa]
      • Audio (Colombia):(file)
      • Rhymes: -ontʃa
      • Syllabification: con‧cha

      Noun

      concha f (plural conchas)

      1. seashell
        Synonym: coquilla (Isleño)
      2. shell (mollusk)
      3. (Mexico) kind of sweet bread that resembles a shell in design and in decoration
      4. (Chile, Peru, Rioplatense, vulgar) pussy, cunt
        Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vagina
        La cogieron por la concha.
        They fucked her in the cunt.

      Derived terms

      Further reading

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