coquina

American  

[koh-kee-nuh] / koʊˈki nə /

noun

1. Also called pompano, butterfly-shell clam.  a small clam, Donax variabilis, abundant in the intertidal zone of eastern and southern U.S. coastal beaches, having fanlike bands of various hues, the paired empty shells often spread in a butterfly shape.

2. any similar clam, especially of the genus Donax.

3. a soft, whitish rock made up of fragments of marine shells and coral, used as a building material.

---

coquina British  

/ kɒˈkiːnə /

noun

1. a soft limestone consisting of shells, corals, etc, that occurs in parts of the US

---

coquina Scientific  

/ kō-kē′nə /

1. A soft porous limestone, composed of shells and fragments of shell and coral that are partially cemented by material that is high in calcium carbonate and has not completely hardened.

---

Etymology

Origin of coquina

1830–40, < Spanish: literally, shellfish, equivalent to Old Spanish coc(a ) shellfish (< Latin concha; see conch) + -ina -ine ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coquina

The coquina shell walls of the oldest masonry fort in the United States once absorbed cannonballs but will be susceptible to the buffetings of the sea.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2017

A type of limestone called coquina originates from beach sands made predominantly of shells that were then lithified.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

Designers wanted to take advantage of the beach and of the lakes just inland, created by coquina mining operations.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 1, 2017

Built in 1925 from coquina, the romantically rough, shell-studded rock, the bank has a grand, airy hall, with breezes giving it the air of a tropical airport.

From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2012

Under the tower stood a coquina house for the keeper, and the whole was fortified, having a defensive wall, with angles and loop-holes.

From Horace Chase by Woolson, Constance Fenimore