cockleshell

[ kok-uhl-shel ]

/ ˈkɒk əlˌʃɛl /

Save This Word!

noun

a shell of the cockle.

a shell of some other mollusk, as the scallop.

Nautical. any light or frail vessel.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cockleshell

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

Words nearby cockleshell

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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

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