basking shark

basking shark
Liver Liv"er, n. [AS. lifer; akin to D. liver, G. leber, OHG. lebara, Icel. lifr, Sw. lefver, and perh. to Gr. ? fat, E. live, v.] (Anat.) A very large glandular and vascular organ in the visceral cavity of all vertebrates. [1913 Webster]

Note: Most of the venous blood from the alimentary canal passes through it on its way back to the heart; and it secretes the bile, produces glycogen, and in other ways changes the blood which passes through it. In man it is situated immediately beneath the diaphragm and mainly on the right side. See {Bile}, {Digestive}, and {Glycogen}. The liver of invertebrate animals is usually made up of c[ae]cal tubes, and differs materially, in form and function, from that of vertebrates. [1913 Webster]

{Floating liver}. See {Wandering liver}, under {Wandering}.

{Liver of antimony}, {Liver of sulphur}. (Old Chem.) See {Hepar}.

{Liver brown}, {Liver color}, the color of liver, a dark, reddish brown.

{Liver shark} (Zo["o]l.), a very large shark ({Cetorhinus maximus}), inhabiting the northern coasts both of Europe and North America. It sometimes becomes forty feet in length, being one of the largest sharks known; but it has small simple teeth, and is not dangerous. It is captured for the sake of its liver, which often yields several barrels of oil. It has gill rakers, resembling whalebone, by means of which it separates small animals from the sea water. Called also {basking shark}, {bone shark}, {hoemother}, {homer}, and {sailfish}; it is sometimes referred to as {whale shark}, but that name is more commonly used for the {Rhincodon typus}, which grows even larger.

{Liver spots}, yellowish brown patches on the skin, or spots of chloasma. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Basking shark — Temporal range: Early Oligocene–Present[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Basking shark — Bask ing shark (Zo[ o]l.) One of the largest species of sharks ({Cetorhinus maximus}), so called from its habit of basking in the sun; the {liver shark}, or {bone shark}. It inhabits the northern seas of Europe and America, and grows to a length… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • basking shark — ► NOUN ▪ a large shark which feeds on plankton and typically swims slowly close to the surface …   English terms dictionary

  • basking shark — n. any of a family (Cetorhinidae) of plankton eating giant sharks (order Lamniformes) with small, weak teeth: often found feeding along the surface in northern seas …   English World dictionary

  • basking shark — /bas king, bah sking/ a large shark, Cetorhinus maximus, of cold and temperate seas, that often swims slowly or floats at the surface. [1760 70] * * * Huge, sluggish shark (family Cetorhinidae) named for its habit of floating or slowly swimming… …   Universalium

  • basking shark — noun large harmless plankton eating northern shark; often swims slowly or floats at the sea surface • Syn: ↑Cetorhinus maximus • Hypernyms: ↑mackerel shark • Member Holonyms: ↑Cetorhinus, ↑genus Cetorhinus * * * ˈbasking shark 7 …   Useful english dictionary

  • basking shark — milžinryklis statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Cetorhinus maximus angl. basking shark; bone shark; elephant shark; giant shark; oil shark rus. гигантская акула ryšiai: platesnis terminas – milžinrykliai …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

  • basking shark — bangininis ryklys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Rhincodon typus angl. basking shark; whale shark rus. китовая акула; китообразная акула ryšiai: platesnis terminas – bangininiai rykliai …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

  • basking shark — bask′ing shark [[t]ˈbæs kɪŋ, ˈbɑ skɪŋ[/t]] n. ich a large shark, Cetorhinus maximus, of cold and temperate seas, that often swims slowly or floats at the surface • Etymology: 1760–70 …   From formal English to slang

  • basking shark — noun Date: circa 1769 a large plankton feeding shark (Cetorhinus maximus) that has an oil rich liver and may attain a length of up to 45 feet (13.7 meters) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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