Meanings
cockle1
plural cockles
- Any of various edible European bivalve mollusks, of the family Cardiidae, having heart-shaped shells.
His wife, a small woman who walked always on high heels, borrowed Gerhardie's primus stove several times a day to cook her husband gargantuan meals of cockles, mussels, snails, and other such unpalatables.
1990, Dido Davies, Andrew Davies, William Gerhardie: A Biography, page 164 - The shell of such a mollusk.
- broadlyA defect in sheepskin; firm dark nodules caused by the bites of keds on live sheep
- figurativelyin pluralChiefly in cockles of someone's heart: a person's innermost feelings.
- UKThe dome of a heating furnace.
- UKThe fire chamber of a furnace.
present singular third person cockles · participle present cockling · participle past cockled · past cockled
cockle2
plural cockles
- Any of several field weeds, such as the common corncockle (Agrostemma githago) and darnel ryegrass (Lolium temulentum).
But cockle, spurge, according to their law / Might propagate their kind, with none to awe, / You'd think; a burr had been a treasure trove.
1855, Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, section XSynonyms: darnel, false wheat
cockle3
present singular third person cockles · participle present cockling · participle past cockled · past cockled
cockle4
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of several field weeds, such as the common corncockle (Agrostemma githago) and darnel ryegrass (Lolium temulentum).
More synonyms by meaning
verbto gather something into small wrinkles or folds
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
cockle · noun, verb
- substrate
- Pre-Greek
- Ancient Greekκογχύλιον
- Vulgar Latin*cocchilia
- Old Frenchcoquille
- Old Englishcocc
- Middle Englishcokke
- Middle Englishcokel
- Englishcockle
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.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →cockle · noun
- Latincoccus“berry”
- Old Englishcoccel“darnel”
- Middle Englishcockil
- Englishcockle
From Middle English cockil, cokil, cokylle, from Old English coccel (“darnel”), of unknown origin, perhaps from a diminutive of Latin coccus (“berry”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian сърцевидна мида, къклица
- сърцевидна мида (sărcevidna mida)any of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- къклица (kăklica)any of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
Catalan escopinya, escopinya
- escopinyaany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- escopinyashell of the cockle
- niellaany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
Chinese Mandarin 泥蚶, 鳥蛤 /鸟蛤
- 泥蚶 (níhān)any of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- 鳥蛤 /鸟蛤 (niǎogé)any of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Dutch kokkel, kokhaan
- kokkelany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- kokhaanany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- hartschelpany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- kokkelshell of the cockle
- hartschelpshell of the cockle
- zieleroerselenone’s innermost feelings
- kokkelboonany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
- kokhaanany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
- hartschelpany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
Finnish sydänsimpukka, sydänsimpukan kuori
- sydänsimpukkaany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- sydänsimpukan kuorishell of the cockle
French coque, ivraie enivrante
- coqueany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- ivraie enivranteany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
German Herzmuschel
- Herzmuschelany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Greek στρείδι, κοχύλι
- στρείδι (streídi)any of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- κοχύλι (kochýli)shell of the cockle
Hungarian kagyló, szívkagyló
- kagylóany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- szívkagylóany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Irish ruacan, gruán
- ruacanany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- gruánany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- sruánany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- sliogán ruacainshell of the cockle
- báisínshell of the cockle
- cogalany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
Italian loglio
- loglioany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
Japanese 笊貝, ドクムギ
- 笊貝 (zarugai)any of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- ドクムギ (dokumugi)any of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
Korean 꼬막
- 꼬막 (kkomak)any of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Malay kerang
- kerangany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Māori tuangi
- tuangiany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Norwegian Bokmål hjertemusling, hjerteskjell
- hjertemuslingany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- hjerteskjellany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Polish sercówka
- sercówkaany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Portuguese berbigão, joio
- berbigãoany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- joioany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
Russian сердцеви́дка
- сердцеви́дка (serdcevídka)any of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Scottish Gaelic coilleag, srùban
- coilleagany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- srùbanany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- coilleagshell of the cockle
- srùbanshell of the cockle
Spanish berberecho, coquina
- berberechoany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- coquinaany of various edible European bivalve mollusks
- cizañaany of several weeds, such as the corn cockle
Ukrainian серцеви́дка
- серцеви́дка (sercevýdka)any of various edible European bivalve mollusks
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cockle
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
cockle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cockle
“cockle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cockle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cockle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cockle.
Source: cockle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.