cockle
UK[ˈkɒk(ə)l]US[ˈkɑːk(ə)l]
n
A common edible European bivalve mollusc with a thick, ribbed, heart-shaped shell.
n
A small, shallow boat.
n
(often 'cockles of the heart') A person's heart or feelings (archaic/literary).
Etymology
The word 'cockle' has a convoluted journey through several languages, all centered on the concept of a shell. Its immediate source is the Old French 'coquille'. This French term evolved from the Latin 'conchylium', a borrowing from Greek 'konkhylion', a diminutive of 'konkhē' meaning 'mussel' or 'shell'. The Greek root can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root konkho-, also meaning 'shell'. The modern English meaning narrowed specifically to a type of edible, ribbed bivalve. The affectionate phrase "cockles of the heart" is a later, figurative extension, playing on the heart's supposed resemblance to the shell's shape.
Analysis
This word is a simplex form. It is a loanword from Old French 'coquille', meaning 'shell', which itself derived from Latin 'conchylium' and ultimately from Greek 'konkhylion', meaning 'shellfish'.
Examples
We spent the afternoon gathering cockles from the sandy shore.
The old fisherman took his cockle out into the calm bay.
Her kind words warmed the cockles of my heart.