Wrinkled, puckered, or shrunk; affected by moisture or age (said of paper, fabric, or metal).
From 'cockle' (to wrinkle) + '-ed' (past participle), describing something that has undergone wrinkling.
Cockled paper is what conservators worry about—when humidity or moisture causes paper to wrinkle and buckle, old documents become harder to read, which is why museums keep such careful control of their environments.
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