Conch

In some parts of the caribbean the name for this shellfish is pronounced "consh", while in others, including the Andros Island in the Bahamas, it's pronounced "conck".

Also, a native of Key West, Florida, a city sometimes known as the Conch Republic.

Pronounced with the final consonant vocalized (the "tch" sound as opposed to the "shh" sound), it refers to the big, flat open area inside the ear, behind the aural opening. It is tempting to get large gauge piercings in the conch, because it is a wide open field of possibility, without having to dramatically alter the shape of the ear (as sometimes must happen to get large lobe piercings). Unfortunately, the conch is composed of very brittle cartilage, so stretching in the conch can be dangerous and may result in shattering. Dermal punching is a convenient way to create a large hole without stretching, but it can be extremely painful and is sometimes regarded as cheating by piercing afficianados.

If a left ear looks something like this, the conch is the area denoted by the asterisks:

 ____
/ _  \
\_ \  |
 \ *| |
 /*_/ |
     /
 \__/

Conch (?), n. [L. concha, Gr. . See Coach, n.]

1. Zool.

A name applied to various marine univalve shells; esp. to those of the genus Strombus, which are of large size. S. gigas is the large pink West Indian conch. The large king, queen, and cameo conchs are of the genus Cassis. See Cameo.

⇒ The conch is sometimes used as a horn or trumpet, as in fogs at sea, or to call laborers from work.

2.

In works of art, the shell used by Tritons as a trumpet.

3.

One of the white natives of the Bahama Islands or one of their descendants in the Florida Keys; -- so called from the commonness of the conch there, or because they use it for food.

4. Arch.

See Concha, n.

5.

The external ear. See Concha, n., 2.

 

© Webster 1913.