Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: French
Origin: coquille 'shell', from Latin conchylia, from Greek, from konche; CONCH

cockle

 noun
     
cock‧le [countable]
1 a common European shellfish that is used for food
2

warm the cockles of somebody's heart

especially British English to make someone feel happy and full of good feelings towards other people:
Seeing her new baby just warms the cockles of your heart.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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