cowrie

C3O1W4R1I1E1
/ˈkaʊ.ɹi/

noun

A small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell.

Similar
money cowrieshell moneywampumcowry
OriginHindi कौड़ी →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nouncowrie (plural cowries)

plural cowries · alternative cowry · alternative kauri

  1. A small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell.

    Synonyms: money cowrie, shell money, wampum

  2. broadlydatedAny gastropod of the genus Cypraea; its shell.
  3. broadlyAny gastropod of the family Cypraeidae; its shell.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell.

Similar
money cowrieshell moneywampum

More synonyms by meaning

nounany of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells

Similar
cowry
Broader
gastropodunivalve
Also see
porcelain

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Hindiकौड़ी
  2. Englishcowrie

Mid-17th century, borrowed from Hindi कौड़ी (kauṛī).

More words from Hindi

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic ودع
  • ودعany member of the genus Cypraea
Bengali কড়ি
  • কড়ি (koṛi)any member of the genus Cypraea
Catalan cauri
  • cauriany member of the genus Cypraea
Chinese Mandarin 寶貝 /宝贝
  • 寶貝 /宝贝 (bǎobèi)any member of the genus Cypraea
Czech kauri, zavinutec
  • kauriany member of the genus Cypraea
  • zavinutecany member of the genus Cypraea
  • zavinutec penízkovýCypraea moneta
Dutch kauri, geldkauri
  • kauriany member of the genus Cypraea
  • geldkauriCypraea moneta
Finnish posliinikotilo, kaurikotilo
  • posliinikotiloany member of the genus Cypraea
  • kaurikotiloCypraea moneta
French cauri, porcelaine
  • cauriany member of the genus Cypraea
  • porcelaineany member of the genus Cypraea
  • cauriCypraea moneta
German Kaurischnecke, Kaurimuschel
  • Kaurischneckeany member of the genus Cypraea
  • Kaurimuschelany member of the genus Cypraea
  • Kauriany member of the genus Cypraea
Hindi कौड़ी, कौड़ी
  • कौड़ी (kauṛī)any member of the genus Cypraea
  • कौड़ी (kauṛī)Cypraea moneta
Irish fínicín
  • fínicínany member of the genus Cypraea
Italian ciprea
  • cipreaany member of the genus Cypraea
Japanese タカラガイ, 宝貝
  • タカラガイ (takaragai)any member of the genus Cypraea
  • 宝貝 (takaragai)any member of the genus Cypraea
Norwegian kauriskjell
  • kauriskjellany member of the genus Cypraea
Polish porcelanka, monetka
  • porcelankaany member of the genus Cypraea
  • monetkaCypraea moneta
Portuguese búzio
  • búzioany member of the genus Cypraea
Punjabi ਕੌਡੀ
  • ਕੌਡੀ (kauḍī)any member of the genus Cypraea
Romanian dioc, ghioc
  • diocany member of the genus Cypraea
  • ghiocCypraea moneta
Russian ка́ури
  • ка́ури (káuri)any member of the genus Cypraea
Spanish cauri
  • cauriany member of the genus Cypraea
Swahili kauri
  • kauriany member of the genus Cypraea
Swedish kaurisnäckor
  • kaurisnäckorany member of the genus Cypraea
Tamil சோகி
  • சோகி (cōki)any member of the genus Cypraea

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with cowrie

MaoriloweryflowerydowrymauriGaurishoweryflouryavowrycaurichowry
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

cowrie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowrie

MLA

“cowrie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowrie. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cowrie,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowrie.

Source: cowrie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.