cockle
To cause to contract into wrinkles or ridges, as some kinds of cloth after a wettingTo cause to contract into wrinkles or ridges, as some kinds of cloth after a wetting; to pucker.
Meaning
2 senses(transitive)To cause to contract into wrinkles or ridges, as some kinds of cloth after a wetting; to pucker.
to gather something into small wrinkles or folds
(Midlands, Northern England, Scotland)To wobble, shake; to be unsteady.
Origin
From Middle English cokel, cokkel, kokkel, cocle, of uncertain origin. Perhaps a diminutivFrom 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.
Origin uncertain.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
cockles, cockling, cockled, cockledSynonyms
8 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.