cowry

{ } n.; pl. Cowries [ Hind. kaurī. ] (Zool.) A marine shell of the genus Cypræa. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ There are numerous species, many of them ornamental. Formerly Cypræa 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. [ 1913 Webster ]