any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells
cowry
How to use cowry in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for cowry.
Editorial note
Many things can and did serve as such token: gold, bank note, cowry shells.
Quick take
any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of cowry gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for cowry.
noun
any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells
See also: cowrie
Example sentences
Many things can and did serve as such token: gold, bank note, cowry shells.
The cowry was used as an international currency for thousands of years and wasn't backed by any government.
When $1 million in cowry shells become as simple to smuggle in and out of Argentina as a signed Bitcoin transaction, you'll have a point.
Hell, the "virtue" of cowry shells can save me from hyperinflation and help protect my free speech!Except people stopped using cowry shells as a currency, just as people stopped using Bitcoins as a currency.
We want something more information-rich -- something made for our current information tech, rather than originated from cowry shells or whatever.
A standard can be rather loose, when people were using wampum, beaver pelts or cowry shells as money those items weren't all of the exact same, size, shape or color but it was understood that they were a store of value.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use cowry in a sentence?
Many things can and did serve as such token: gold, bank note, cowry shells.
What does cowry mean?
any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells
What part of speech is cowry?
cowry is commonly used as noun.