Main Entry: cow·rie

Variant(s): also cow·ry \ˈkau̇-rē\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural cowries

Etymology: Hindi & Urdu kauṛī

Date: 1662

: any of various marine gastropods (family Cypraeidae) that are widely distributed in warm seas and have glossy and often brightly colored shells; also : the shell of a cowrie