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definitions

shark

1
[shahrk]
||

noun

any of a group of elongate elasmobranch, mostly marine fishes, certain species of which are large, voracious, and sometimes dangerous to humans.

Idioms

    jump the shark, Informal. to begin a decline in quality, popularity, relevance, etc., after reaching a peak: Some TV shows have jumped the shark once a popular cast member left the show.

Origin of shark

1
First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain
Related formsshark·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sharklike

Historical Examples of sharklike

  • The lean, sharklike Hardy looked a little depressed at this accusation.

    The Bad Man

    Charles Hanson Towne

  • All the rays are carnivorous, but only the sharklike forms (sawfishes and the Rhinobatid) actively pursue their prey.

  • With a sharklike grin, the worthy Captain Pedrillo removed this difficulty.

  • She adored courage, and had always cherished a belief that Bismarck's sharklike jaws implied the possession of latent ferocity.

    All on the Irish Shore

    E. Somerville and Martin Ross

British Dictionary definitions for sharklike

shark

1

noun

any of various usually ferocious selachian fishes, typically marine with a long body, two dorsal fins, rows of sharp teeth, and between five and seven gill slits on each side of the head
Derived Formssharklike, adjective

Word Origin for shark

C16: of uncertain origin

shark

2

noun

a person who preys on or victimizes others, esp by swindling or extortion

verb

archaic to obtain (something) by cheating or deception

Word Origin for shark

C18: probably from German Schurke rogue; perhaps also influenced by shark 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for sharklike

shark

n.

1560s, of uncertain origin; apparently the word and the first specimen were brought to London by Capt. John Hawkins's second expedition (landed 1565; see Hakluyt).

There is no proper name for it that I knowe, but that sertayne men of Captayne Haukinses doth call it a 'sharke' [handbill advertising an exhibition of the specimen, 1569]

The meaning "dishonest person who preys on others," though attested only from 1599 (sharker "artful swindler" in this sense is from 1594), may be the original sense, later transferred to the large, voracious marine fish. If so, it is possibly from German Schorck, a variant of Schurke "scoundrel, villain," agent noun of Middle High German schürgen (German schüren) "to poke, stir."

But on another theory, the English word is from a Mayan word, xoc, which might have meant "shark." Northern Europeans seem not to have been familiar with sharks before voyages to the tropics began. A slightly earlier name for it in English was tiburon, via Spanish (where it is attested by 1520s), from the Carib name for the fish.

The English word was applied (or re-applied) to voracious or predatory persons, on the image of the fish, from 1707 (originally of pick-pockets); loan shark is attested from 1905. Sharkskin (1851) was used for binding books, etc. As the name of a type of fabric held to resemble it, it is recorded from 1932.

There is the ordinary Brown Shark, or sea attorney, so called by sailors; a grasping, rapacious varlet, that in spite of the hard knocks received from it, often snapped viciously at our steering oar. [Herman Melville, "Mardi"]

shark

v.

c.1600, "to live by one's wits," of uncertain origin (see shark (n.)); according to OED, at least partly a variant of shirk. Meaning "obtain by sharking" is from 1610s. Related: Sharked; sharking.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper