cockle
1 of 3noun (1)
cock·le ˈkä-kəl 
: any of several weedy plants of the pink family
especially : corn cockle
cockle
2 of 3noun (2)
1
: any of various chiefly marine bivalve mollusks (family Cardiidae) having a shell with convex radially ribbed valves
especially : a common edible European bivalve (Cerastoderma edule synonym Cardium edule)
2
: cockleshell
cockle
3 of 3noun (3)
: pucker, wrinkle
cockle verb
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Old English coccel
Noun (2)
Middle English cokille, from Middle French coquille shell, modification of Latin conchylia, plural of conchylium, from Greek konchylion, from konchē conch
Noun (3)
Middle English kokell, ultimately from Middle French coquillé wavy or rounded like a shell, from coquille
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (3)
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing cockle
Kids Definition
cockle
noun
cock·le ˈkä-kəl
: an edible shellfish with a shell that has two parts and is shaped like a heart