cockleshell

[ kok-uh l-shel ]

/ ˈkɒk əlˌʃɛl /

noun

a shell of the cockle.

a shell of some other mollusk, as the scallop.

Nautical. any light or frail vessel.

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Origin of cockleshell

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

Words nearby cockleshell

cockleboat, cocklebur, cockleert, cockler, cockles of one's heart, cockleshell, cockloft, cockney, cockney bream, cockneyfy, cockneyism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for cockleshell

Before I left I wished them all Godspeed on the dainty journey they were making in their cockleshell.
One Way Out|William Carleton
Carter stood up in the stern sheets balancing himself cleverly to the disordered motion of his cockleshell.
The Rescue|Joseph Conrad
For two days the sea had been running high and we were tossed about like a cockleshell.
Australia in Arms|Phillip F.E. Schuler
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

The Race had got hold of the cockleshell, and a piece of board would never make it let go.
Carette of Sark|John Oxenham

British Dictionary definitions for cockleshell

cockleshell

/ (ˈkɒkəlˌʃɛl) /

noun

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