nurse shark
2
6.3
- noun
- /nɜrs ʃɑrk/
:
tiburón nodriza
- The tanks were as big as our console stereo, alive with nurse sharks, lionfish, seahorses, pink coral, and stingrays.
- nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum
Mako, lemon, Caribbean reef and nurse shark.
- Mako, lemon, Caribbean reef and nurse shark.
Examples
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I've swum with sand tiger sharks, nurse sharks, and will be doing a tiger shark expedition in 2013.
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So these are our nurse sharks.
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I was sent with the group who was going out sharking for nurse sharks.
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We didn't get this nurse shark today.
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We went to a few locations marked in the GPS and caught four juvenile nurse sharks for the pen.
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Expect to see schools of giant groupers, nurse sharks, and Caribbean reef sharks swimming in this natural wonder.
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While diving in the Caribbean, we encountered a relaxed nurse shark resting on the ocean floor.
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The aquarium featured a large tank with various fish, including a gentle nurse shark gliding along the bottom.
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As the guide pointed out the wildlife, he noted the distinctive barbels of the nurse shark that help it sense its surroundings.
Synonyms
A small shark that lives on the sea floor in warm shallow water
How Fast
- Specialized
- Specialized
11
2.9
2
6.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
nurse + shark
A B1 learner who knows 'nurse' (caregiver) and 'shark' (large ocean fish) would not be able to derive that this refers to a specific bottom-dwelling, sluggish shark with barbels; the modifier 'nurse' does not transparently describe the shark's salient features in a predictable way. The name is a lexicalized species label rather than a compositional description, so the meaning is idiomatic/not inferable from the parts.
Etymology
Nurse shark may get its name from the animal's calm, slow behavior; people saw it resting on the sea floor and thought it looked like a quiet nurse watching over others. Its whisker-like feelers near the mouth help it find food on the bottom, so the picture of a helpful 'nurse' explains why we call this animal a nurse shark.