Main Entry: mu·rex

Pronunciation: \ˈmyu̇r-ˌeks\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural mu·ri·ces \ˈmyu̇r-ə-ˌsēz\ or mu·rex·es

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, mollusk yielding a purple dye; akin to Greek myak-, myax mussel

Date: 1589

: any of a genus (Murex of the family Muricidae) of marine gastropod mollusks having a rough and often spiny shell, abounding in tropical seas, and yielding a purple dye