cowrie

American  

[kou-ree] / ˈkaʊ ri /

Or cowry

noun

plural

cowries

1. the highly polished, usually brightly colored shell of a marine gastropod of the genus Cypraea, as that of C. moneta money cowrie, used as money in certain parts of Asia and Africa, or that of C. tigris, used for ornament.

2. the gastropod itself.

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cowrie British  

/ ˈkaʊrɪ /

noun

1. any marine gastropod mollusc of the mostly tropical family Cypraeidae, having a glossy brightly marked shell with an elongated opening

2. the shell of any of these molluscs, esp the shell of Cypraea moneta ( money cowry ), used as money in parts of Africa and S Asia

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Etymology

Origin of cowrie

First recorded in 1655–65; from Hindi, Urdu kauṛī, kauḍī, from Sanskrit kapardikā, diminutive of kaparda-, of Dravidian origin; compare Tamil kavaṭi, kotu “shell, cowrie”

Explanation

A cowrie is a marine mollusk, a sea creature with a bright, glossy shell. The largest number of cowries live in the Indian Ocean. Cowrie shells were once a common form of currency, traded as money or worn as jewelry. They are particularly beautiful, shiny as porcelain (a word that's derived from the old Italian term for cowrie, porcellana). In North America, cowries are common along parts of the California coast, in Mexico, and in some parts of the Southeastern U.S. Cowrie is from the Hindi and Urdu kauri and a Sanskrit root, kaparda, "shell."

Example Sentences

"People come to write their vows on cowrie shells that they throw here," she said.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

In your images, I see you exploring police brutality on American soil, but also recurring motifs like cowrie shells, smoke and flowers seem to be more conceptual reminders of home, ritual, currency and cultural memory.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025

At the heart of her life’s work are trapuntos: maximalist hanging textiles embroidered with mirrors from India, cowrie shells from Papua New Guinea, beaded fabric from Indonesia, buttons from the Philippines and other travel-gathered bricolage.

From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2023

One, in a purple dress beaded with cowrie shells, had a matching purple hood.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2023

He sets a tiny paper scroll, no bigger than a cowrie shell, in her palm.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr