murex

[ myoor-eks ]

noun,plural mu·ri·ces [myoor-uh-seez], /ˈmyʊər əˌsiz/, mu·rex·es.
  1. any marine gastropod of the genus Murex, common in tropical seas, certain species of which yield the royal purple dye valued by the ancients.

  2. a shell used as a trumpet, as in representations of Tritons in art.

  1. purplish red.

Origin of murex

1
1580–90; <New Latin, Latin mūrex the shellfish that yielded Tyrian purple dye

Words Nearby murex

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British Dictionary definitions for murex

murex

/ (ˈmjʊərɛks) /


nounplural murices (ˈmjʊərɪˌsiːz)
  1. any of various spiny-shelled marine gastropods of the genus Murex and related genera: formerly used as a source of the dye Tyrian purple

Origin of murex

1
C16: from Latin mūrex purple fish; related to Greek muax sea mussel

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