cockle

¹

[ kok-uhl ]

noun

1. any bivalve mollusk of the genus Cardium, having somewhat heart-shaped, radially ribbed valves, especially C. edule, the common edible species of Europe.
2. any of various allied or similar mollusks.
3. cockleshell ( defs 1, 2 ).
4. a wrinkle; pucker:

   a cockle in fabric.

5. a small, crisp candy of sugar and flour, bearing a motto.

verb (used without object)

, cock·led, cock·ling.

1. to contract into wrinkles; pucker:

   This paper cockles easily.

2. to rise in short, irregular waves; ripple:

   The waves cockled along the shore.

verb (used with object)

, cock·led, cock·ling.

1. to cause to wrinkle, pucker, or ripple:

   The wind cockled the water.

cockle

²

[ kok-uhl ]

noun

1. a weed, as the darnel Lolium temulentum, or rye grass, L. perenne.

cockle

¹

/ ˈkɒkəl /

noun

1. any sand-burrowing bivalve mollusc of the family Cardiidae, esp Cardium edule ( edible cockle ) of Europe, typically having a rounded shell with radiating ribs
2. any of certain similar or related molluscs
3. short for cockleshell
4. a wrinkle or puckering, as in cloth or paper
5. a small furnace or stove
6. cockles of one's heart
   one's deepest feelings (esp in the phrase warm the cockles of one's heart )

verb

1. to contract or cause to contract into wrinkles

cockle

²

/ ˈkɒkəl /

noun

1. any of several plants, esp the corn cockle, that grow as weeds in cornfields

Word History and Origins

Origin of cockle¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English cokel, cokil(le), from Old French coquille, “shell, shell of a mollusk, mollusk,” from Vulgar Latin cocchīlia (unattested), from Latin conchylia, plural of conchȳlium, from Greek konchȳ́lion, equivalent to konchȳ́l(ē) “mussel, cockle” + -ion diminutive suffix; compare Old English -cocc in sǣ-cocc literally, “sea-cockle” from Vulgar Latin coccus (unattested) for Latin concha conch

Origin of cockle²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English cok(k)el, Old English coccel; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Late Latin cocculus (unattested), diminutive of coccus “berry, seed” ( coccus ( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of cockle¹

C14: from Old French coquille shell, from Latin conchӯlium shellfish, from Greek konkhulion, diminutive of konkhule mussel; see conch

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cockles of one's heart, the depths of one's emotions or feelings:

   The happy family scene warmed the cockles of his heart.

Example Sentences

In Swansea, he said he had a "really good experience" with cockles and laverbread and Welsh rarebit.

From BBC

Originally called “motto hearts,” the heart-shaped candies were conceived from a “cockle,” a Civil War-era scalloped candy that contained a wholesome message written on colored paper inside it, akin to a fortune cookie.

From Salon

Scallop on a cauliflower purée bed and cockle popcorn and chorizo crumb.

From BBC

Large cockles can filter three liters per hour and this concentrating effect was so powerful that we found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the cockles even when we couldn't detect them in water samples.

From Salon

Metzger and his research team in late April scoured the mucky sand for living basket cockles, a type of mollusk native to the Northwest, as wind whipped through Penn Cove.

From Seattle Times