cowrie (redirected from cowries)

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

Noun

pl -ries the glossy brightly-marked shell of a marine mollusc [Hindi kaurī]

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