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Meaning of "cowry" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF COWRY

cowry  [ˈkaʊrɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF COWRY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Cowry is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES COWRY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

cowry

Cowry

Cowry or cowrie, plural cowries, is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. The word cowry is also often used to refer only to the shells of these snails, which overall are often shaped more or less like an egg, except that they are rather flat on the underside. Many people throughout history have found the very rounded, shiny, porcelain-like shells of cowries pleasing to look at and to handle. Indeed the term "porcelain" derives from the old Italian term for the cowrie shell due to their similar translucent appearance. Shells of certain species have historically been used as currency in several parts of the world, as well as being used, in the past and present, very extensively in jewellery, and for other decorative and ceremonial purposes. Some species in the family Ovulidae are also often referred to as cowries. In the British Isles the local Trivia species are sometimes called cowries. The Ovulidae and the Triviidae are somewhat closely related to Cypraeidae.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH COWRY


augury
ˈɔːɡjʊrɪ
chowri
ˈtʃaʊrɪ
cowrie
ˈkaʊrɪ
Jodhpuri
ˈdʒɒdpʊrɪ
kauri
ˈkaʊrɪ
loerie
ˈlaʊrɪ
lourie
ˈlaʊrɪ
lowrie
ˈlaʊrɪ
lowry
ˈlaʊrɪ
mercury
ˈmɜːkjʊrɪ
methylmercury
ˌmiːθaɪlˈmɜːkjʊrɪ
penury
ˈpɛnjʊrɪ
quaestuary
ˈkwiːstʃʊrɪ
scowrie
ˈskəʊrɪ
strangury
ˈstræŋɡjʊrɪ
toorie
ˈtʊrɪ
tourie
ˈtʊrɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE COWRY

cowmen
cowp
cowpat
cowpea
Cowper
Cowper´s glands
cowpie
cowplop
cowpoke
cowpox
cowpuncher
cowrie
cowries
cowrite
cowriter
cowshed
cowskin
cowslip
cowtown
cowy

WORDS THAT END LIKE COWRY

a far cry
angry
anniversary
awry
battery
blackberry
carry
category
celery
century
cherry
contemporary
country
dowry
Jewry
money cowry
Newry
outlawry
the Jewry
wry

Synonyms and antonyms of cowry in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «cowry» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF COWRY

Find out the translation of cowry to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of cowry from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «cowry» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

cowry
570 millions of speakers

English

cowry
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

कौड़ी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الصدفة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

каури
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

cowry
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

কড়ি
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

cauris
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Berkahwin
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

cowry
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

コヤスガイ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

고동
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Cowry
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

cowry
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

cowry
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

कौरी
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

deniz kabuğu
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

cowry
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

cowry
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

каурі
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

Cowry
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

cowry
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

cowry
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

cowry
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

cowry
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of cowry

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «COWRY»

The term «cowry» is normally little used and occupies the 111.144 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Little used
48
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «cowry» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of cowry
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «cowry».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «COWRY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «cowry» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «cowry» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about cowry

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «COWRY»

Discover the use of cowry in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to cowry and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian
General name for cowry shell; they were used as octopus lures. Moe a leho, lie still as a cowry shell, as to escape detection. (PPN fole; PCP lefo.) 2. n. Callus, as on shoulders from carrying heavy loads. 3. vs. Covetous. Cf . maka leho. leho ...
Mary Kawena Pukui, Samuel H. Elbert, 1986
2
Treasury of Hawaiian Words in One Hundred and One Categories
Serpent-head cowry (Cypraea caputserpentis). Most common of the Hawaiian cowries, it is chiefly herbivorous. Lit., cowry native. (EAK 189.) leho lei. White money cowry (Cypraea moneta). Rare in Hawai'i. The scientific name moneta comes ...
Harold Winfield Kent, 1993
3
Sea Magic: Connecting with the Ocean's Energy
Practice: Divination. with. Cowry. Shells. One seashell divination system originated with Santeria, an Afro-Cuban spiritual practice that blends Catholicism with the magical and religious beliefs of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. The Yoruba saw ...
Sandra Kynes, 2008
4
Nomadic Societies in the Middle East And North Africa: ...
cowry shells, so are cradles (Ferdinand 1993, p. 264) and caps for babies. Decorated in the same manner are little skin bags for kohl, coffee or cardamom, also saddlebags and neck straps for camels. Cowry shells adorn textiles for the camel, ...
Dawn Chatty, 2006
5
The English Cyclopaedia: Geography
Under this division of the sub-genus Dr. Gray arranges 27 species, including some of the rarest forms — C. aurora (the Morning Dawn, or Orange Cowry), and C. Princcpi, for example — together with C. Titjri> (the Tiger Cowry), and other ...
Charles Knight, 1866
6
Natural History: Or, Second Division of "The English ...
Under this division of the sub-genus Dr. Gray arranges 27 species, including some of the rarest forms — C. aurora (the Morning Dawn, or Orange Cowry), and C. Princcps, for example — together with C. Tigris (the Tiger Cowry), and other ...
Charles Knight, 1866
7
The English Cyclopaedia: Division. Geography. 4v. and Suppl
Under this division of the sub-genus Dr. Gray arranges 27 species, including some of the rarest forms — 0. aurora (the Morning Dawn, or Orange Cowry), and C. Princeps, for example — together with C. Tigris (the Tiger Cowry), aud other ...
Charles Knight, 1867
8
Ni_ihau Shell Leis
The cowry a lei maker selects for a lei must complement the color of the particular lei it is to join. For example, a lei of momi ke'oke'o, the pure white momi shells, is joined with a poleholeho 'apu'upu'u that is also pure white from prolonged ...
Linda Paik Moriarty, 1986
9
Marco Polo Was in China: New Evidence from Currencies, Salts ...
1 zhuang 庄= 1 cowry 4 zhuang = 1 shou 手= 4 cowries 4 shou = 1 miao 苗= 16 cowries 5 miao = 1 suo 索= 80 cowries28 together with the pattern “4 × 20 = 80,” the pattern “4 × 4 × 5 = 80” was the dominant denominational system for yunnan  ...
Hans Ulrich Vogel, 2012
10
Shaping the Society Christianity and Culture: Special ...
The cowry shells used in diving were usually folded into a piece of the bark cloth and together with some herbs and offerings kept inside the small basket that served as the shrine. The diviner holds a handful of cowries shell close to his mouth ...
Pastor Stephen Kyeyune, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «COWRY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term cowry is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Attractive valuation may incite buy sentiment at Nigerian bourse
... hunting activities, especially on beat-down value stocks following weeks of sell offs,” investment analysts at Cowry Asset Management said. «BusinessDay, Jul 15»
2
Uncertainty over Policy Direction May Worsen Nigeria's Business …
Also, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, pointed out that the policy ... «THISDAY Live, Jun 15»
3
State Finances: Is Fiscal Discipline the Way Out?
According to Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Company, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, “The requests by the governors if met by the ... «THISDAY Live, Jun 15»
4
Beninese political parties intensify campaigns for local polls
... Party (PRD), Benin Renaissance Alliance-Patriotic Front (RB-RP) and the ruling coalition, Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE). «spyghana.com, Jun 15»
5
Emefiele Defends New Forex Controls, Says N1.3tn Spent on …
In their reaction to the CBN directive, analysts at Cowry Asset Management Limited argued that there was merit in the exclusion of the 40 items ... «THISDAY Live, Jun 15»
6
Sentiment favours cautious trading on equities
“This week, we expect to see a mixture of bargain hunting and sell off activities,” according to analysts at Lagos-based Cowry Asset ... «BusinessDay, Jun 15»
7
International & Regional Pavilions Exhibition Space at CBME China …
New brands at the show include All Natural Kids, Bubba Blue, Cowry, Corams, DU'IT Baby, Freeze Frame, LifeSpace, MamaCare, MooHaHa, ... «PR Newswire, Jun 15»
8
Local currency bonds to appreciate on back of bargain hunting …
... in system liquidity via Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements, analysts at Cowry Asset Management Limited said. «BusinessDay, Jun 15»
9
Delayed cabinet: Stock market investors lose N238bn
The Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, told our correspondent recently that the policies of the ... «The Punch, Jun 15»
10
Equities market depress further as big caps slide
... in line with the current short-term inflation trend and consequent depreciation on bond prices,” said research analysts at Lagos-based Cowry ... «The Guardian Nigeria, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Cowry [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/cowry>. Apr 2024 ».
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