coquina
UK[kəʊˈkiːnə]US[koʊˈkiːnə]
n
a soft, whitish limestone composed of broken shells and corals cemented together.
n
a small marine clam with a wedge-shaped shell, found on the coasts of the southeastern us.
Etymology
the word 'coquina' entered english in the 19th century, borrowed directly from american spanish, where it means "cockle" or "small shellfish." the spanish term itself is a diminutive of 'concha,' meaning "shell," which traces back to latin 'concha' (shell, mussel) and ultimately to greek 'konchē' (shellfish, mussel). the geological term for the limestone derives from the material it is made from—the compacted shells of these small clams, illustrating a direct metonymic shift from the organism to the rock it forms.
Analysis
this word is a direct loanword from spanish. it is not productively segmented into smaller, meaningful english morphemes.
Examples
the old fort was constructed from blocks of coquina, a material that proved surprisingly resilient to cannon fire.
we saw thousands of tiny coquina clams burrowing into the wet sand as each wave receded.
the coquina deposits along this coastline provide valuable insights into the region's ancient marine environment.