1. adverb. Late means near the end of a day, week, year, or other period of time. It was late in the afternoon. She had to work late at night. His autobiography was written late in life. The case is expected to end late next week. Since late last year the border area has been the scene of heavy fighting.
The cowry was the shell most widely used worldwide as shell money. It is most abundant in the Indian Ocean, and was collected in the Maldive Islands, in Sri Lanka, along the Malabar coast, in Borneo and on other East Indian islands, and in various parts of the African coast from Ras Hafun to Mozambique.
Family Cypraeidae. Cowries. Cowries are a favorite of collectors because of their beautiful colors and high-gloss finish. This is possible because the animals' mantle is on the outside, secreting the shell from the top-down and keeping it protected, whereas most other shells are secreted from the inside-out, hence the glossy interior of many shells.