cowry

Examples

• All

• Elmo poured perfume onto the cowry shells he threw as dice.

  Academic text (1999)

• The cowries and money are collected, counted, and divided into equal amounts for the elder members.

  Academic text (1993)

• The cowry shells on the spirit's hat represent the money used to buy slaves.

  Academic text (1999)

• The family distributes small amounts of money or a few cowries among the mourners.

  Academic text (1993)

• Take a fairly large cowry shell, such as "egg shell" or "leopard," and cleanse it thoroughly.

  Fiction book (1993)

• The three cowries added to the surface of the broom acknowledge and signify the powers contained within.

  Academic text (2009)

• Her thick gray hair, swept up on her head and bound with a string of cowry shells, emphasized her regal carriage.

  Fiction book (1995)

• Sixteen cowry shells on Legba's chest illustrate two du signs of the Fa divination system.

  Academic text (2001)

• From the Kuba comes a beaded and cowry-shell-adorned hat called a kalyeem, worn by senior titleholders (Fig. 12).

  Academic text (2003)

• The family distributes small amounts of money or a few cowries among the mourners.

Synonyms

C

cowrie

vscowry

1 9.9

A small shiny sea shell used as decoration and once used as money

has identical meaning but is a different written form

C

Cypraea

vscowry

• Specialized

9.9

A group of sea snails with shiny, brightly patterned shells

is the common species-level name used for the same sea animal

Surface Forms

Etymology