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Explore Cowrie through 9 example sentences from English, with an explanation of the meaning and related words like cowry or gastropod. Ideal for language learners, writers and word enthusiasts.

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Cowrie in a sentence

Related words

Cowrie | Cowries

Cowrie meaning

  1. A small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell.
  2. Any gastropod of the genus Cypraea; its shell.
  3. Any gastropod of the family Cypraeidae; its shell.

Synonyms of Cowrie

cowry gastropod univalve

Related words

Other words often associated with Cowrie or its synonyms:

mollusk shellfish mollusc bivalve

Using Cowrie

  • The main meaning on this page is: A small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell. | Any gastropod of the genus Cypraea; its shell. | Any gastropod of the family Cypraeidae; its shell.
  • Useful related words include: cowry, gastropod, univalve.
  • In the example corpus, cowrie often appears in combinations such as: cowrie shells.

Context around Cowrie

  • Average sentence length in these examples: 25.4 words
  • Position in the sentence: 2 start, 4 middle, 3 end
  • Sentence types: 9 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations

Often before:

worked 1× sized 1× use 1×

Often after:

shells 5× hole 1× cove 1× shell 1×

Sentence patterns with Cowrie

These short patterns come directly from the example sentences and show how the word is often embedded:

had worked cowrie shells used 1× human sized cowrie shells will 1× is a cowrie shell or 1× of the cowrie hole 1× paid in cowrie shells 1× seafood place cowrie cove seafood 1× source of cowrie shells then 1× surprise that cowrie shells also 1×

Sentence openings and endings

Common sentence openings:

at another stand 1× human sized cowrie 1× kramrisch p 475 1× one can choose 1× taxes on slaves 1× the maldives provided 1×

Common sentence endings:

anklets and earrings 1× east african coast 1× in cowrie shells 1× in traditional handicrafts 1× of the city 1× or the english 1×

Words around Cowrie

Just before it in the word index:

cowra 44 cowpox 25 cowpokes 4 cowplain 4 cowperthwaite 2 cowper 20

Just after it in the word index:

cowries 4 cowrite 3 cowriter 4 cowrites 2 cowriting 3 cowrote 11

Similar in corpus frequency:

aanholt 13 aardwolf 13 abati 13 abbeville 13 abcc 13 abcon 13

Corpus analysis for Cowrie

  • In this selection, "cowrie" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 25.4 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
  • Around the word, worked, sized, use, shells, hole and cove stand out and add context to how "cowrie" is used.
  • Recognizable usage signals include had worked cowrie shells used and human sized cowrie shells will. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
  • By corpus frequency, "cowrie" sits close to words such as aanholt, aardwolf and abati, which helps place it inside the broader word index.

Example types with cowrie

The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:

Short example sentences

Taxes on slaves were mostly paid in cowrie shells. (9 words)

Human-sized cowrie shells will represent The Wake in other parts of the city. (14 words)

It might come as a surprise that cowrie shells, also spelt cowry, were not created by Africans or the English. (20 words)

Longer example sentences

The whitish powder that is the result is mixed with water and painted on the buildings. citation A Tuvaluan dancer at Auckland's Pasifika Festival Art of Tuvalu main The women of Tuvalu use cowrie and other shells in traditional handicrafts. (41 words)

At another stand, a jewelry designer, perhaps with history in mind, had worked cowrie shells — used as money on West Africa’s coast as early as the 14th century, historians say — into attractive necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and earrings. (38 words)

One can choose from the Cantonese Tea of Spring, the seafood place Cowrie Cove Seafood Bar & Grill, the poolside joint Acqua, the alfresco Buko Bar, the beachfront Breeze Bar, and the Lobby Lounge. (33 words)

Example sentences (9)

At another stand, a jewelry designer, perhaps with history in mind, had worked cowrie shells — used as money on West Africa’s coast as early as the 14th century, historians say — into attractive necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and earrings.

It might come as a surprise that cowrie shells, also spelt cowry, were not created by Africans or the English.

The nomination includes the Newcastle Ocean Baths facade and portico, the Canoe Pool and the rock shelf south of the Cowrie Hole.

Human-sized cowrie shells will represent The Wake in other parts of the city.

One can choose from the Cantonese Tea of Spring, the seafood place Cowrie Cove Seafood Bar & Grill, the poolside joint Acqua, the alfresco Buko Bar, the beachfront Breeze Bar, and the Lobby Lounge.

Kramrisch, p. 475. A kaparda is a cowrie shell, or a braid of hair in the form of a shell, or, more generally, hair that is shaggy or curly.

Taxes on slaves were mostly paid in cowrie shells.

The Maldives provided the main source of cowrie shells, then used as a currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast.

The whitish powder that is the result is mixed with water and painted on the buildings. citation A Tuvaluan dancer at Auckland's Pasifika Festival Art of Tuvalu main The women of Tuvalu use cowrie and other shells in traditional handicrafts.

Common combinations with cowrie

These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:

Frequently asked questions

How do you use "cowrie" in a sentence?
An example: "At another stand, a jewelry designer, perhaps with history in mind, had worked cowrie shells — used as money on West Africa’s coast as early as the 14th century, historians say — into attractive necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and earrings." This page contains 9 example sentences with the word "cowrie" from authentic English texts.
What does "cowrie" mean?
Cowrie means: A small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell.
What are synonyms of "cowrie"?
Common synonyms of "cowrie" include: cowry, gastropod, univalve.
How many example sentences with "cowrie" are there?
Voorbeeldzinnen.info contains 9 example sentences with "cowrie", drawn from a database of millions of English sentences.