n.
Pronunciation: ' myu ̇ r- ˌ eks
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural mu · ri · ces \ ' myu ̇ r- ə - ˌ s ē z \ 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