cowrie

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.

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[Hindi kau, from Sanskrit kapardik, diminutive of kaparda, shell, of Dravidian origin.]

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cowrie, cowry [ˈkaʊrɪ]

n pl -ries

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any marine gastropod mollusc of the mostly tropical family Cypraeidae, having a glossy brightly marked shell with an elongated opening

2. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Currencies) the shell of any of these molluscs, esp the shell of Cypraea moneta (money cowry), used as money in parts of Africa and S Asia

[from Hindi kaurī, from Sanskrit kaparda, of Dravidian origin; related to Tamil kōtu shell]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

cowrie - 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

Translations

cowrie [ˈkaʊrɪ] N → cauri m

cowrie, cowry

n → Kaurischnecke f

cowrie cowry [ˈkaʊrɪ] n → ciprea

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cowrie cowry [ˈkaʊrɪ] n → ciprea