cockleshell

[ kok-uhl-shel ]

/ ˈkɒk əlˌʃɛl /

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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 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. 2021

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