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cowrie

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
cow·rie or cow·ry  (kour)
n. pl. cow·ries
Any of various tropical marine gastropods of the family Cypraeidae, having glossy, often brightly marked shells, some of which are used as currency in the South Pacific and Africa.
[Hindi kau, from Sanskrit kapardik, diminutive of kaparda, shell, of Dravidian origin.]
cowrie
Noun
pl -ries the glossy brightly-marked shell of a marine mollusc [Hindi kaurī]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.cowriecowrie - any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells
cowry
gastropod, univalve - a class of mollusks typically having a one-piece coiled shell and flattened muscular foot with a head bearing stalked eyes
Cypraea, genus Cypraea - type genus of the family Cypraeidae: the typical cowries
Cypraea moneta, money cowrie - cowrie whose shell is used for money in parts of the southern Pacific and in parts of Africa
Cypraea tigris, tiger cowrie - cowrie whose shell is used for ornament
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Here, in a little cove, lay a small schooner, the Cowrie, whose decks had but a few days since run red with the blood of her officers and the loyal members of her crew, for the Cowrie had fallen upon bad days when it had shipped such men as Gust and Momulla the Maori and that arch-fiend Kai Shang of Fachan.
The Beasts of Tarzan by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context
A garter of white cowrie shells encircled one leg just below the knee.
Jerry of the Islands by London, Jack View in context
There was no need to worry about food - no need to spend a cowrie at the crowded stalls.
Kim by Kipling, Rudyard View in context
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