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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Cowrie \Cow"rie\ Cowry \Cow"ry\(kou"r[y^]), noun; pl. {Cowries} (-r[i^]z). [Hind. kaur[imac].] (Zo["o]l.) A marine shell of the genus {Cypr[ae]a}.
Note: There are numerous species, many of them ornamental. Formerly {Cypr[ae]a moneta} and several other species were largely used as money in Africa and some other countries, and they are still so used to some extent. The value is always trifling, and varies at different places.
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