Kockës

Kockës is a form of the Albanian noun kockë, which has two common meanings: bone and dice. The word appears in various grammatical contexts, and its exact form changes with case and definiteness in Albanian syntax. In everyday usage, kockë or kockë (without a definite ending) is used for the indefinite singular, while forms like kocka or kockat mark definite or plural uses.

In the anatomical sense, kockë refers to a bone, one of the hard structures that form the skeleton. Bones provide support and shape, protect internal organs, enable movement with joints, store minerals, and house bone marrow, which produces blood cells. The study of bones falls under anatomy and osteology, and human bones include major categories such as long, flat, and irregular bones, each serving specific roles in the body’s structure and function.

In the sense of dice, kockë denotes a small cube used in games of chance. In Albanian, the singular is kockë and the plural can be kocka or kockat depending on definiteness. Phrases such as dy kocka mean “two dice.” The definite plural form kockat can refer to “the dice” when the context requires a definite article, while expressions like kockës së peshkut show the use of the form kockës in a prepositional phrase meaning “the bone of the fish.”

Grammatical note: kockës can appear in inflected positions for possessive, prepositional, or determiner constructions, as in kockës së peshkut or për kockës. The word’s meaning—bone or dice—depends on context and accompanying words.

See also: Bone, Dice.