cockleshell

[ kok-uhl-shel ]

noun
  1. a shell of the cockle.

  2. a shell of some other mollusk, as the scallop.

  1. Nautical. any light or frail vessel.

Origin of cockleshell

1
First recorded in 1375–1425, cockleshell is from late Middle English cokille shell. See cockle1, shell

Words Nearby cockleshell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cockleshell in a sentence

  • A few minutes later, the little craft—oh, what a frail cockleshell she looked in the midst of that mountainous sea!

    The Cruise of the "Esmeralda" | Harry Collingwood
  • A similar fate surely awaited the light cockleshell which bore the beloved life.

    The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
  • The act of taking so long a passage in this cockleshell of a vessel is a sure testimony of his devotion and bravery.

    The Tragedy of St. Helena | Walter Runciman
  • In their cockleshell of a boat, they know that to run before the wind is their safest plan, and so they speed on south-eastward.

    The Land of Fire | Mayne Reid
  • Now, one rush and they are gone back to their own cockleshell.

    Roger the Bold | F. S. Brereton

British Dictionary definitions for cockleshell

cockleshell

/ (ˈkɒkəlˌʃɛl) /


noun
  1. the shell of the cockle

  2. any of the valves of the shells of certain other bivalve molluscs, such as the scallop

  1. any small light boat

  2. a badge worn by pilgrims

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012