cowrie
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Related to cowrie: money cowrie
cow·rie
or cow·ry (kou′rē)n. pl. cow·ries
Any of various marine gastropods of the family Cypraeidae of tropical and subtropical seas, having glossy, often colorfully patterned shells, some of which were formerly used as currency in parts of the South Pacific and Africa.
[Hindi kauṛī, from Sanskrit kapardikā, diminutive of kapardaḥ, shell, of Dravidian origin.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
cowrie
(ˈkaʊrɪ) orcowry
n, pl -ries
1. (Animals) any marine gastropod mollusc of the mostly tropical family Cypraeidae, having a glossy brightly marked shell with an elongated opening
2. (Currencies) the shell of any of these molluscs, esp the shell of Cypraea moneta (money cowry), used as money in parts of Africa and S Asia
[C17: from Hindi kaurī, from Sanskrit kaparda, of Dravidian origin; related to Tamil kōtu shell]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
cow•rie
or cow•ry
(ˈkaʊ ri)n., pl. -ries.
1. any marine gastropod mollusk of the family Cypraeidae, having a glossy oval shell with a slitlike toothed opening.
2. the shell of such a gastropod, sometimes used as currency in Asia and Africa.
[1655–65; < Hindi kaurī]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
cow·rie
(kou′rē) Any of various tropical marine mollusks having glossy, often brightly marked shells that are rounded on one side and relatively flat on the other. The shells have been used as currency in the South Pacific and Africa.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | cowrie - any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells 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 |
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Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
cowrie
, cowryn → Kaurischnecke f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
cowrie
cowry [ˈkaʊrɪ] n → cipreaCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995