Word Study
cowrie
CIDE DICTIONARY
cowrie, n.
Same as Kauri. [1913 Webster]
cowrie, 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]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
cowrie, n. (also cowry) (pl. -ies)
1 any gastropod mollusc of the family Cypraeidae, having a smooth glossy and usu. brightly-coloured shell.
2 its shell, esp. used as money in parts of Africa and S. Asia.
1 any gastropod mollusc of the family Cypraeidae, having a smooth glossy and usu. brightly-coloured shell.
2 its shell, esp. used as money in parts of Africa and S. Asia.
Etymology
Urdu & Hindi kauri
For further exploring for "cowrie" in Webster Dictionary Online
