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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of cockleshell

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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