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cowrie

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(ko̵u′rē)

or cowry

noun pl. cowries

any of a number of gastropods (family Cypraeidae) having brightly colored, glossy shells and found in warm seas
the shell of any of these mollusks, esp. the shell of the (Cypraea moneta), formerly used as currency in parts of Africa and S Asia

Origin: Hindi kauṛī < Sans kaparda

See cowrie in American Heritage Dictionary 4

or cow·ry

noun 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.

Origin:

Origin: Hindi kauṛī

Origin: , from Sanskrit kapardikā

Origin: , diminutive of kapardaḥ, shell

Origin: , of Dravidian origin

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