nurse shark

noun

1. any of several sharks of the family Orectolobidae, especially Ginglymostoma cirratum, occurring in shallow waters from Rhode Island to Brazil and the Gulf of California to Ecuador.

nurse shark

noun

1. any of various sharks of the family Orectolobidae, such as Ginglymostoma cirratum of the Atlantic Ocean, having an external groove on each side of the head between the mouth and nostril

Word History and Origins

Origin of nurse shark¹

First recorded in 1850–55; allegedly so called because the male habitually hangs on to the female's fin with his teeth

Word History and Origins

Origin of nurse shark¹

C15: nusse fisshe (later influenced in spelling by nurse ), perhaps from division of obsolete an huss shark, dogfish (of uncertain origin) as a nuss