lemon shark
2
5.6
- noun
- /ˈlɛmən ʃɑrk/
- US
:
tiburón limón
- "From what we gathered, lemon sharks are predominantly docile and relatively harmless."
- lemon shark (Negaprion)
- lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris
They're like small sharks that like, they're like little lemon sharks.
- They're like small sharks that like, they're like little lemon sharks.
Examples
-
The research crew begins their work at dusk, laying fishing lines baited for lemon sharks.
-
In some tanks, lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) get along fine with blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus).
Academic text (1994) -
These are only lemon sharks!
-
Perhaps lemon sharks don't leave that bad of a mark.
-
In a secluded pool hemmed by mangroves, baby lemon sharks roll in the shallows and nip at the surface of the windowpane water.
Synonyms
A large shark that lives in warm shallow Atlantic waters and can be dangerous to people
A group of large sharks called lemon sharks that live in warm shallow water near the coast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'lemon shark' is transparently interpretable as a type of shark characterized by a lemon-like (yellowish) color, so a learner who knows 'lemon' (as a color) and 'shark' will readily infer the meaning. This color + animal noun-noun compounding is cross-linguistically common and follows regular composition patterns, making it accessible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Lemon shark is named for its yellowish color, which looks like a lemon. That color helps the shark 'blend in' with sandy shallow water, so the name fits what the animal looks like today.