cowry

Glossy sea snail

A cowry is a small marine mollusk with a glossy, dome-shaped shell, found mainly in tropical waters.

The shells have been used as currency, ornaments, and religious objects across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific for thousands of years.

She wore a necklace of cowry shells.

Also spelled cowrie.

currency

money

Currency for transactions

  • tradeExchange of commodities
  • barterDirect goods-for-goods exchange
  • exchangeMutual giving and receiving

wealth · shell money · Maldives · Africa · tribute · dowry · value · commerce · transaction · payment

texture

smooth

Without roughness or difficulty

shiny · rounded · domed · tactile · sleek · unblemished · oval

shell

seashell

Mollusk's discarded exoskeleton

  • molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
  • gastropodSingle-shelled soft creature
  • calciumElement twenty, builds bones

exoskeleton · aperture · mantle · dorsum · enamel · spotted · oval · domed · porcelain · specimen

ornamental

jewelry

Ornamental personal accessories

bracelet · decoration · pendant · amulet · charm · headdress · belt · mask · craft · embellishment

divination

oracle

Authoritative wisdom source

casting · reading · sacred · spiritual · ceremony · ancestors · shells · prediction · Santeria · priest

Categories
  • cowries
Opposites
currency type

cowrycoin

Stamped metal currency

paper money · banknote · fiat currency · digital currency · cryptocurrency

shell type/structure

cowryconch

Spiral-shelled marine gastropod

clam · oyster · mussel · scallop · abalone

material value basis

cowrygold

Element seventy-nine

silver · gold bullion · precious metal · gemstone · diamond

Phrases
Family

cowrie, cowries

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G