shellwork

[ shel-wurk ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

decorative work composed of seashells:
an elaborate picture frame decorated with shellwork.

First recorded in 1605–15; shell + work

They have belts of shellwork slung across their shoulders, and are armed with bows and arrows, and flint-headed spears.

Several "waganga," recognizable by their badges of conical shellwork, came boldly forward.

He revelled in elaborate combinations of shellwork and impossible foliage.

And you hate the very sight of shellwork and cone-frames, and Grecian painting, and all such vanities?

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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