cowrie

noun (plural cowries)

• a marine mollusk that has a smooth, glossy, domed shell with a long narrow opening, typically brightly patterned and popular with collectors.

  • Genus Cypraea, family Cypraeidae, class Gastropoda: numerous species, including the small money cowrie (C. moneta)
• the flattened yellowish shell of the money cowrie, formerly used as money in parts of Africa and the Indo-Pacific area.