cowrie
noun
cow·rie
| \ ˈkau̇-rē
\
\
variants:
or less commonly cowry
plural cowries
Definition of cowrie
: any of various marine gastropods (family Cypraeidae) that are widely distributed in warm seas and have glossy and often brightly colored shells
also
: the shell of a cowrie
Examples of cowrie in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But why gold? Had history worked out differently, the dollar might have been pegged to cowrie shells, peppercorns, or giant stone disks, all of which, like gold, have served as money at one time or another. — Gwynn Guilford, Quartz, "The quiet campaign to reinstate the gold standard is getting louder," 3 July 2019 Nearly eight months pregnant, Williams wears a stretchy dress with nautical stripes, her hair exquisitely cornrowed, with red and gold beads and cowries, her pearlized nails the color of pink champagne. — Mario Testino, Vogue, "Serena Williams on Pregnancy, Power, and Coming Back to Center Court," 15 Aug. 2017 Nestled in their box, the cowries reminded me of a child’s marble collection. — Sarah Kaplan, The Denver Post, "Are the world’s most stunning shells too beautiful for their own good?," 10 Apr. 2017 The ancient Chinese were among those who used cowrie shells, which were prized for their beauty as materials for jewelry, to make payments. — National Geographic, "The Journey of Humankind: How Money Made Us Modern," 20 Mar. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cowrie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cowrie
cowrie
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cowrie
: a small snail that is found in warm seas
: the shiny and often brightly colored shell of the cowrie
See the full definition for cowrie in the English Language Learners Dictionary