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coquina

 - 2 dictionary results

co⋅qui⋅na

  [koh-kee-nuh]
Use coquina in a Sentence
–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, esp. of the genus Donax.
3. a soft, whitish rock made up of fragments of marine shells and coral, used as a building material.
Origin:
1830–40, Americanism; < Sp: lit., shellfish, equiv. to OSp coc(a) shellfish (< L concha; see conch ) + -ina -ine 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To coquina
co·qui·na   (kō-kē'nə)   
n.  

  1. Any of various small marine clams of the genus Donax that are common in the coastal waters of the eastern and southern United States and have variously colored, often striped or banded shells.

  2. A soft porous limestone, composed essentially of fragments of shells and coral, used as a building material.


[Spanish, cockle, probably diminutive of concha, shell, from Latin, mussel; see conch.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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