Definition of Cowry

1. Noun. Any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells.

Exact synonyms: Cowrie
Generic synonyms: Gastropod, Univalve
Group relationships: Cypraea, Genus Cypraea
Specialized synonyms: Cypraea Moneta, Money Cowrie, Cypraea Tigris, Tiger Cowrie

Definition of Cowry

1. Noun. Any of the marine molluscs of the genus ''Cypraea''. ¹

2. Noun. The money cowry, ''Cypraea moneta''. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Cowry

1. a glossy seashell [n -RIES]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Cowry

cowps
cowpuncher
cowpunchers
cowpunk
cowquake
cowquakes
cowrie
cowries
cowrite
cowriter
cowriters
cowrites
cowriting
cowritten
cowrote
cowry (current term)
cows
cows' milk
cowshed
cowsheds
cowskin
cowskins
cowslip
cowslipped
cowslips
cowson
cowsons
cowtree
cowtrees

Literary usage of Cowry

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The New American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge by George Ripley, Charles Anderson Dana (1859)
"A species of this family called the C. princeps, "the brindled cowry of the Persian gulf," is very highly prized by conchologists for its rarity And beauty. ..."

2. Little Folks in Feathers and Fur, and Others in Neither by Olive Thorne Miller, Hildibrand, A. Mesnel, Ecosse, E.P. Dutton (Firm)., J.J. Little & Co (1880)
"THE LITTLE CREATURES THAT LIVE IN THE cowry SHELLS. ... When I was a child I used to wonder what sort of an animal lived in the cowry Shells, ..."

3. The Races of Man: An Outline of Anthropology and Ethnography by Joseph Deniker (1900)
"... of offence—Bow and arrows—Arms of defence —Neutral relations — Comment-—Money—cowry—Transports and means of communication—Primitive vehicles—Navigation. ..."

4. Ruling Case Law as Developed and Established by the Decisions and by William Mark McKinney, Burdett Alberto Rich (1917)
"Issuing paper money is not an attempt to coin money out of a valueless material, like the coinage of leather or ivory or cowry shells. ..."

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