coquina

[ koh-kee-nuh ]

noun
  1. Also called pompano, butterfly-shell clam. a small clam, Donax variabilis, abundant in the intertidal zone of eastern and southern U.S. coastal beaches, having fanlike bands of various hues, the paired empty shells often spread in a butterfly shape.

  2. any similar clam, especially of the genus Donax.

  1. a soft, whitish rock made up of fragments of marine shells and coral, used as a building material.

Origin of coquina

1
1830–40, Americanism;<Spanish: literally, shellfish, equivalent to Old Spanish coc(a) shellfish (<Latin concha;see conch) + -ina-ine1

Words Nearby coquina

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British Dictionary definitions for coquina

coquina

/ (kɒˈkiːnə) /


noun
  1. a soft limestone consisting of shells, corals, etc, that occurs in parts of the US

Origin of coquina

1
C19: from Spanish: shellfish, probably from concha shell, conch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for coquina

coquina

[ kō-kē ]


  1. A soft porous limestone, composed of shells and fragments of shell and coral that are partially cemented by material that is high in calcium carbonate and has not completely hardened.

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