cockleshell
a shell of the cockle.
a shell of some other mollusk, as the scallop.
Nautical. any light or frail vessel.
Origin of cockleshell
1Words 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 CollingwoodA similar fate surely awaited the light cockleshell which bore the beloved life.
The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) LeahyThe 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 RuncimanIn 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 ReidNow, one rush and they are gone back to their own cockleshell.
Roger the Bold | F. S. Brereton
British Dictionary definitions for cockleshell
/ (ˈkɒkəlˌʃɛl) /
the shell of the cockle
any of the valves of the shells of certain other bivalve molluscs, such as the scallop
any small light boat
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
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