cowrie
NounSynonyms:
cowry
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)cowries
- any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shellsSynonyms: cowryType of gastropod, univalveKinds money cowrie, tiger cowrieMember of Cypraea, genus Cypraea
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Cow′rie (-ry̆), noun
Botany Same as Kauri.
Cow′rie Cow′ry (kou′ry̆), noun; pl. Cowries (-rĭz).
Origin: Hind. kaurī.
Zoology A marine shell of the genus Cypræa.
☞ There are numerous species, many of them ornamental. Formerly Cypræa moneta and several other species were largely used as money in Africa and some other countries, and they are still so used to some extent. The value is always trifling, and varies at different places.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54