n.
Variant: also cow · ry
Pronunciation: ' kau ̇ -r ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural cowries
Etymology: Hindi & Urdu kau ṛ ī
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