# cockle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɒkl̩/ · frequency rank #63,514

## Definitions
1. Any of various edible European bivalve mollusks, of the family Cardiidae, having heart-shaped shells.
2. The shell of such a mollusk.
3. A wrinkle, pucker
4. A defect in sheepskin; firm dark nodules caused by the bites of keds on live sheep
5. Chiefly in cockles of someone's heart: a person's innermost feelings.
6. The dome of a heating furnace.
7. The fire chamber of a furnace.
8. A kiln for drying hops; an oast.
9. The mineral black tourmaline or schorl.

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cockle