coquina

noun

co·​qui·​na kō-ˈkē-nə 

1

: a soft whitish limestone formed of broken shells and corals cemented together and used for building

2

: a small wedge-shaped clam (Donax variabilis) used for broth or chowder and occurring in the intertidal zone of sandy Atlantic beaches from Delaware to the Gulf of Mexico

Examples of coquina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the heart of the property stands the 205-foot Singing Tower, a pink-and-gray structure made of marble and coquina and completed in 1929 by philanthropist Edward Bok, the longtime editor of Ladies' Home Journal. — Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 11 June 2026

Built with thick walls of coquina, the Castillo remains the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. — Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026

Search the shore for colorful coquinas and the occasional piece of sea glass, especially at low tide. — Heema Patel, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2026

Rocks, sand dollars, coquina mollusks — anything the ocean gave up. — CBS News, 2 Oct. 2024

The area’s history is revealed during a short hike that meanders through an old coquina quarry on the immediate righthand side of the park’s entrance. — Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, probably diminutive of coca head, alteration of coco bogeyman, coconut

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for coquina

• arena
• athena
• cantina
• carina
• carmina
• catena
• czarina
• domina
• farina
• galena
• glossina
• hyena

Kids Definition

coquina

noun

co·​qui·​na kō-ˈkē-nə 

1

: a soft whitish limestone formed of broken shells and corals cemented together and used for building

2

: a small marine clam used especially to make broth or chowder