cowry

Variant of cowrie

cowrie definition

cow·rie or cowry cow′ry (ko̵u′rē)

noun pl. cowries -·ries

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

Etymology: Hindi kauṛī < Sans kaparda

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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