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murex Definition

mu·rex (myo̵or′eks′)

noun pl. -·ri·ces′--ə sēz′ or -·rexes

any of a genus (Murex) of flesh-eating snails, found in warm salt waters and having a rough, spiny shell: some species yield a purple substance formerly valued as a dye

Etymology: ModL < L, the purple fish < IE base *mus > mouse, Gr myax, sea mussel

murex Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • snail: They extracted it from the shell of murex sea snails.
  • shell: There are hills outside Tire and Sidon today which are solid murex shells!

Browse dictionary entries near murex

  1. ‹ Mureş
  2. ‹ mure
  3. ‹ Murdoch
  4. ‹ murderously
  5. ‹ murderous
  6. ‹ murderess
  7. ‹ murderer
  8. ‹ murdered
  9. ‹ murder
  10. ‹ Murcott
  1. Murfreesboro ›
  2. muriate ›
  3. muriatic acid ›
  4. muricate ›
  5. murid ›
  6. Muriel ›
  7. Muriel Siebert ›
  8. Murillo ›
  9. murine ›
  10. murk ›