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Murex

 [myoor-eks]   Origin

mu·rex

   [myoor-eks]
noun, plural mu·ri·ces  [myoor-uh-seez] , 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.
3.
purplish red.
Origin:
1580–90; < Neo-Latin, Latin mūrex the shellfish that yielded Tyrian purple dye
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
murex (ˈmjʊərɛks)
 
—n , pl murices
any of various spiny-shelled marine gastropods of the genus Murex and related genera: formerly used as a source of the dye Tyrian purple
 
[C16: from Latin mūrex purple fish; related to Greek muax sea mussel]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

murex
kind of shellfish which yields a purple dye, 1589, from L. murex (pl. murices), probably cognate with Gk. myax "sea mussel," of unknown origin, perhaps related to mys "mouse" (see muscle and mussel).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

murex

any of the marine snails constituting the family Muricidae (subclass Prosobranchia of the class Gastropoda). Typically the elongated or heavy shell is elaborately spined or frilled. The family occurs throughout the world but mainly in the tropics. The many muricids that live in rocky shallows are called rock shells, or rock whelks.

Learn more about murex with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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