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Glite Dictionary
mako shark

mako shark

1 6.7
A large, fast sea fish with a long sharp nose that often jumps when hunting
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪkoʊ ʃɑrk/
translation icon : tiburón mako
  • A 255-pound mako shark was spotted prowling along the Outer Banks of North Carolina last week.

Examples

  • What does an 8,000-pound mako shark... ...with a brain the size of a V8 engine and no natural predators, think about?

    Deep Blue Sea (1999)

  • Data for two species of mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus and I. paucus) were also combined.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The crew of Vindicator Fishing Team and Charters caught a record-breaking shortfin mako shark off the coast of Bryan County, GA.

  • And no discussion about the fastest fish would be complete without mentioning the mako shark, known for its agility.

Synonyms

Isurus oxyrinchus
vsmako shark
  • Specialized
9.9

A fast blue shark called the shortfin mako that lives in warm seas and is popular with sport fishers

is the Atlantic and Pacific member with a pointed snout and agility
shortfin mako
vsmako shark
  • Specialized
8.8

A fast blue-gray shark found in warm seas that fishermen prize for sport fishing

is described as a powerful Atlantic and Pacific shark with a pointed snout
mackerel shark
vsmako shark
  • Specialized
7.9

A large, fast shark with a pointed snout that swims and hunts in open ocean

is one specific powerful, agile, pointed-snout member of that family

Surface Forms

mako shark singular
mako sharks plural

Morphology

mako + shark

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'mako' (a type/name of shark) with 'shark' (a large predatory fish): the compound simply names a specific species and conveys expected properties (fast, powerful). This noun+noun species-naming pattern is cross‑linguistically common and follows regular composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand it.

Etymology

Mako shark comes from the Māori word mako, which means 'shark'. English speakers used that name, so the phrase literally tells you it is a fast, powerful shark.