turban shell

English

Etymology

From a reanalysis or misconstruction of translingual Turbinidae (with the root Turbo), from a similar pronunciation. To demonstrate (in General American): Turbinidae as /tɝˈbɪ.nɪ.deɪ/ and turban as /ˈtɝ.bən/; as /ɪ/ and /ə/ are interchangeable in certain words in General American, especially before consonants like /m/ and /n/.

It has been reinterpreted from Latin turbo (“whirlwind”, from the shells' twisting shapes) to English turban, due to a perceived similarity to the ways turbans are worn and the shape of the shells of these snails.

Noun

turban shell (plural turban shells)

  1. A marine gastropod of the family Turbinidae, or the shell thereof.
    Synonym: turban snail

Hyponyms

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.