money cowry

noun

1. a tropical marine gastropod, Cypraea moneta

2. the shell of this mollusc, used as money in some parts of Africa and S Asia

Example Sentences

The best known is the money cowry or Cypraea moneta, a small shell about half an inch in length, white and straw-coloured without and blue within, which derives its distinctive name from the fact that in various countries it has been employed as a kind of currency.

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