porphyry shell
English edit
Noun edit
porphyry shell (plural porphyry shells)
- The shell of a particular marine gastropod known as the tent olive (Oliva porphyria), having a dark red or brown polished surface, marked with light spots, like porphyry.
References edit
- “porphyry”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.