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prettygoodwordmako (MAY-koh, MAH-koh) - n., either of two large mackerel sharks of the genus Isurus, especially the fast-moving shortfin mako (I. oxyrinchus); the teeth of the mako traditionally prized by Maoris for personal decoration.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The shortfin mako is the fastest shark, capable of 74 km/h / 46 mph bursts, and at full growth is only slightly smaller than its close relative, the great white shark. The word is specifically from Kāi Tahu Māori (a South Island dialect) makō, which can also mean shark in general -- in other Maori dialects it's pronounced mangō. The word has cognates in many other Polynseian languages, such as Hawaiian mano, generally always meaning generically any shark.
And that wraps up a theme fortnight of words from Polynesian, which will be the last word-origin theme for a while -- back next week with the usual unsorted mix. And who knows, maybe sometime another theme will show up.
---L.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The shortfin mako is the fastest shark, capable of 74 km/h / 46 mph bursts, and at full growth is only slightly smaller than its close relative, the great white shark. The word is specifically from Kāi Tahu Māori (a South Island dialect) makō, which can also mean shark in general -- in other Maori dialects it's pronounced mangō. The word has cognates in many other Polynseian languages, such as Hawaiian mano, generally always meaning generically any shark.
And that wraps up a theme fortnight of words from Polynesian, which will be the last word-origin theme for a while -- back next week with the usual unsorted mix. And who knows, maybe sometime another theme will show up.
---L.
