cockle

cockle · noun, verb¹

1. substrate · derived from
2. Pre-Greek · derived from
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromκογχύλιον
4. Vulgar Latin · derived from*cocchilia
5. Old French · derived fromcoquille
6. Old English · inherited fromcocc
7. Middle English · derived fromcokke
8. Middle English · inherited fromcokel
9. English todaycockle

From Middle English cokel, cokkel, kokkel, cocle, of uncertain origin. Perhaps a diminutive of Middle English cokke, cok (“cockle”), from Old English cocc (found in sǣcocc (“cockle”)) + -le; or perhaps from Old French coquille, from Vulgar Latin *cocchilia, from conchylia, from Ancient Greek κογχύλιον (konkhúlion), diminutive of κογχύλη (konkhúlē, “mussel”), of Pre-Greek substrate origin.

cockle · noun²

1. Latin · derived fromcoccus“berry”
2. Old English · inherited fromcoccel“darnel”
3. Middle English · inherited fromcockil
4. English todaycockle

From Middle English cockil, cokil, cokylle, from Old English coccel (“darnel”), of unknown origin, perhaps from a diminutive of Latin coccus (“berry”).

cockle · verb³

Origin uncertain.

cockle · noun⁴

Rhyming slang, from cock and hen for ten.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 17th c. To wobble, shake; to be unsteady.