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Cardium edule

Cardium edule

9.4
A common small sea animal with a rounded edible shell that lives on sandy coasts and mudflats
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Cardium edule
  • The Cardium edule is often found along the European coastline.

Examples

  • The delicate flavor of Cardium edule makes it a favorite in European seafood dishes.

  • Researchers are studying Cardium edule populations to assess the health of regional estuaries.

  • Fishermen along the coast collect Cardium edule for both local markets and export.

  • I love to eat Cardium edule during the summer.

  • Fishermen along the coast collect Cardium edule for both local markets and export.

  • The delicate flavor of Cardium edule makes it a favorite in European seafood dishes.

  • I love to eat Cardium edule during the summer.

Synonyms

cockle
vsCardium edule
9 7.7

A small edible shellfish with a rounded, ribbed shell often found on sandy beaches

is the specific species found on sandy coasts and mudflats
edible cockle
vsCardium edule
  • UK
3.6

A small shellfish like a clam that people eat

is the scientific Latin name for the same species

Surface Forms

Cardium edule singular

Morphology

Cardium + edule

This is a standard Latin binomial: 'Cardium' names the cockle genus and 'edule' (from Latin edulis) means 'edible', so the compound literally denotes an edible Cardium species. The meaning follows transparent, compositional biological-naming conventions used cross-linguistically, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer the referent.

Etymology

Cardium edule The name Cardium edule comes from old Greek and Latin words: Cardium from the Greek word for 'heart' because the shell looks like a small heart, and edule from Latin meaning 'edible' or 'good to eat'. So the name literally shows a heart-shaped shell people can eat, which fits this common edible cockle.