Word Study
cowry
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun cowry has 1 sense
- cowry(n = noun.animal) cowrie - any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells; Array is a kind of gastropod, univalve
is a member of cypraea, genus cypraea
has particulars: cypraea moneta, money cowrie, cypraea tigris, tiger cowrie
CIDE DICTIONARY
cowry, n. [Hind. kaur.].
A marine shell of the genus Cypræa . [1913 Webster]
" There are numerous species, many of them ornamental. Formerly Cypræa moneta and several other species were largely used as money in Africa and some other countries, and they are still so used to some extent. The value is always trifling, and varies at different places."
[1913 Webster]
For further exploring for "cowry" in Webster Dictionary Online
