cowrie

cowrie
/kow"ree/, n.
1. the highly polished, usually brightly colored shell of a marine gastropod of the genus Cypraea, as that of C. moneta (money cowrie), used as money in certain parts of Asia and Africa, or that of C. tigris, used for ornament.
2. the gastropod itself.
[1655-65; < Hindi kauri]

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Any of several marine snails (genus Cypraea) found chiefly in coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Its humped, thick shell is beautifully coloured (often speckled) and glossy. That of the 4-in. (10-cm) golden cowrie was traditionally worn by royalty on Pacific islands. The money cowrie, a 1-in. (2.5-cm) yellow species, has served as currency in Africa and elsewhere.

Cowrie (Cypraea)

Bucky Reeves from The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers
EB Inc.

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▪ marine snail
 any of several marine snails of the subclass Prosobranchia (class Gastropoda) comprising the genus Cypraea, family Cypraeidae. The humped, thick shell is beautifully coloured (often speckled) and glossy; the apertural lips, which open into the first whorl in the shell, are inrolled and may be fine-toothed.

      Cowries occur chiefly in coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The 10-centimetre (4-inch) golden cowrie (C. aurantium) was traditionally worn by royalty in Pacific Islands, and the money cowrie (C. moneta), a 2.5-centimetre (1-inch) yellow species, has served as currency in Africa and elsewhere.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • cowrie — or cowry [kou′rē] n. pl. cowries [Hindi kauṛī < Sans kaparda] 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 …   English World dictionary

  • Cowrie — Cow rie ( r[y^]), n. (Bot.) Same as {Kauri}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cowrie — Cow rie Cowry Cow ry(kou r[y^]), n.; pl. {Cowries} ( r[i^]z). [Hind. kaur[imac].] (Zo[ o]l.) A marine shell of the genus {Cypr[ae]a}. [1913 Webster] Note: There are numerous species, many of them ornamental. Formerly {Cypr[ae]a moneta} and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cowrie — small shell, used as money in parts of Asia, 1660s, from Hindi and Urdu kauri, from Mahrati kavadi, from Skt. kaparda, perhaps related to Tamil kotu shell …   Etymology dictionary

  • cowrie — (also cowry) ► NOUN (pl. cowries) ▪ a marine gastropod mollusc with a smooth, glossy, domed shell with a long, narrow opening. ORIGIN Hindi …   English terms dictionary

  • cowrie — UK [ˈkaʊrɪ] / US noun [countable] Word forms cowrie : singular cowrie plural cowries a shiny, coloured shell of a sea animal, used in the past as money in parts of Africa and Asia …   English dictionary

  • cowrie — Kauri Ka u*ri, n. [Native name.] (Bot.) A tall coniferous tree of New Zealand {Agathis australis}, or {Dammara australis}), having white straight grained wood furnishing valuable timber and also yielding one kind of {dammar resin}. [Written also… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cowrie — also cowry noun (plural cowries) Etymology: Hindi & Urdu kauṛī Date: 1662 any of various marine gastropods (family Cypraeidae) that are widely distributed in warm seas and have glossy and often brightly colored shells; also the shell of a cowrie …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Cowrie — Kaurischnecken Neobernaya spadicea Systematik Klasse: Schnecken (Gastropoda) Überordnung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • cowrie — noun a) A gastropod of the family Cypraeidae common to the Indian Ocean. b) The pyriform shell, of the cowrie, especially of the species money cowry (Cypraea moneta), formerly used as money in some areas …   Wiktionary

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