Etymograph

English

conchoid

Conchoid comes from Latin concha ‘mussel’, and goes back to Ancient Greek κόγχη.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκόγχηkónkhē‘mussel, cockle’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcha‘mussel’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1948conchoid

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκόγχηkónkhē‘mussel, cockle’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcha‘mussel’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1948conchoid

Earliest quotation: 1948, Tennessee Valley Authority, The Hiwassee Valley Projects: “Conchoids of sound rock, from a few feet to…”

Formed from -oid

Every English word from Ancient Greek κόγχη

Today it means

noun Any of a family of curves defined as the locus of points p, such that each p is on a line that passes through a given fixed point P and intersects a given curve, C, and the distance from p to the point of intersection with C is a specified constant (note that for nontrivial cases two such points p satisfy the criteria, and the resultant curve has two parts).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek κόγχη / conchoid

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