tiburón martillo
/tibuɾon maɾtiʝo/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase hammerhead shark is translated into Spanish as tiburón martillo.
tiburón martillo refers to a shark of the genus Sphyrna.
Meaning: shark of the genus Sphyrna (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tiburón (shark) and martillo (hammer).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Colombia, the term tiburón zorro is used to refer to the hammerhead shark.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, only the noun tiburón is pluralized to tiburones, while the modifier martillo remains singular, resulting in tiburones martillo.
How do you pronounce it?
/tibuɾon maɾtiʝo/
Did you know?
- The word tiburón may have been influenced by the Taíno word tiburo or the Quechua word tiwrun, linking the Spanish name to indigenous languages of the Americas.
- While English describes the shark's head as a 'hammerhead', Spanish describes the animal itself as a 'hammer shark' using the phrase tiburón martillo.
- The word tiburón is closely related to the Portuguese tubarão, reflecting the shared linguistic history of the Iberian Peninsula.
Examples in context
- Me encanta observar la majestuosidad de los tiburones martillo.I love watching the majesty of hammerhead sharks.
- El tiburón martillo es conocido por su peculiar forma de cabeza.The hammerhead shark is known for its unique head shape.
- El tiburón martillo es un depredador.The hammerhead shark is a predator.
- El tiburón martillo es muy impresionante.The hammerhead shark is very impressive.
- Vimos un tiburón martillo mientras buceábamos.We saw a hammerhead shark while we were diving.
- Ese tiburón martillo nada muy rápido.That hammerhead shark swims very fast.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are watching a nature documentary on TV.
- Alejandro¿Es ese un tiburón martillo?Is that a hammerhead shark?
- ElenaSí, es un tiburón martillo muy grande.Yes, it is a very large hammerhead shark.
- AlejandroMe da un poco de miedo.It scares me a little bit.
- ElenaNo te preocupes, Alejandro, es solo un documental.Don't worry, Alejandro, it's just a documentary.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hammerhead shark” translations and entries tiburón martillo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries martillo, tiburón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
