hammerhead

American  

[ham-er-hed] / ˈhæm ərˌhɛd /

noun

1. the part of a hammer designed for striking.

2. a shark of the genus Sphyrna, especially S. zygaena, having the head heads expanded laterally so as to resemble a double-headed hammer, sometimes dangerous to swimmers.

3. Also called hammerkop.  a brown heronlike African bird, Scopus umbretta, having the head heads so crested as to resemble a claw hammer.

4. flatheaded borer.

5. Slang. blockhead; dunce; lout.

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hammerhead British  

/ ˈhæməˌhɛd /

noun

1. any shark of the genus Sphyrna and family Sphyrnidae, having a flattened hammer-shaped head

2. a heavily built tropical African wading bird, Scopus umbretta, related to the herons, having a dark plumage and a long backward-pointing crest: family Scopidae, order Ciconiiformes

3. a large African fruit bat, Hypsignathus monstrosus, with a large square head and hammer-shaped muzzle

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Other Word Forms

• hammerheaded adjective

Etymology

Origin of hammerhead

First recorded in 1525–35; hammer + head

Example Sentences

For example, among the objects recovered were both a large anvil and a small anvil, two stone hammerheads commonly used in metalworking, and several stone polishers.

From Literature

Smaller hammerhead species such as the scalloped bonnethead, scoophead, and Pacific bonnethead have been devastated by overfishing, leaving so few that researchers struggle to find or study them.

From Science Daily

This includes groups of special sharks, such as endangered hammerhead sharks and whale sharks.

From NewsForKids.net

Chicken gasped when he saw a papier-mâché hammerhead topping an arrangement of shark books.

From Literature

In these experiments, the RNA strand being copied is a "hammerhead," a small molecule that cleaves other RNA molecules into pieces.

From Science Daily