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Glite Dictionary
Cypraea moneta

Cypraea moneta

9.9
A small glossy sea shell used as money in parts of Africa and the Pacific
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Cypraea moneta
  • The shells of Cypraea moneta were once widely traded as currency in West Africa.

Examples

  • Historians have recorded the economic impact of Cypraea moneta in ancient Pacific societies.

  • The Cypraea moneta was historically used as currency.

  • Collectors prize the distinctive glossy appearance of the Cypraea moneta shell.

  • Many cultures valued the Cypraea moneta for trade.

  • The shells of Cypraea moneta were once widely traded as currency in West Africa.

  • Historians have recorded the economic impact of Cypraea moneta in ancient Pacific societies.

  • Many cultures valued the Cypraea moneta for trade.

Synonyms

money cowrie
vsCypraea moneta
  • Archaic
9.9

A small sea shell that people used as money in parts of the southern Pacific and Africa

is the exact species of that shell rather than the general shell type

Surface Forms

Cypraea moneta singular
Cypraea monetas plural

Morphology

Cypraea + moneta

The name is a scientific binomial: 'Cypraea' identifies a cowrie (a shelled mollusc) and 'moneta' is a Latin/root form meaning money (cf. 'monetary' and Romance cognates), so the idea of a cowrie used as currency is inferable from the parts. However, as a technical Latin name this is specialized vocabulary and the monetary sense of 'moneta' may not be known to an average B1 learner, so the relation is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Cypraea moneta names a shiny cowrie shell that people used as real money in parts of West Africa and the Pacific. Because the cowrie shell was used to pay and trade, its name became linked to the idea of 'money' and value.