cowry : Idioms & Phrases

Index

cowrie cowry

Cow"rie Cow"ry noun
Etymology
Hind. kaur.
Wordforms
plural Cowries
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A marine shell of the genus Cypræa. ✍ There are numerous species, many of them ornamental. Formerly C. 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.
Webster 1913

Orange cowry

  • (Zoöl.), a large, handsome cowry (Cypræa aurantia), highly valued by collectors of shells on account of its rarity.
Webster 1913

Panther cowry

  • (Zoöl.), a spotted East Indian cowry (Cypræa pantherina); so called from its color.
Webster 1913