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.

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coquina British  

/ kɒˈkiːnə /

noun

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

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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.

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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

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

Suddenly he realized that the door of the squatty little coquina rock building had been closed, for no longer did the light spread a banner out into the black night.

From Eagles of the Sky With Jack Ralston Along the Air Lanes by Newcomb, Ambrose