Webster's 1828 Dictionary
BASKING
ppr. Exposing or lying exposed to the continued action of heat or genial warmth.
BASKING-SHARK
n.The sun-fish of the Irish; a species of squalus or shark. This fish is from three to twelve yards in length, or even longer. The upper jaw is much longer than the lower one; the tail is large and the upper part much longer than the lower; the skin is rough, of a deep leaden color on the back, and white on the belly. The fish weighs more than a thousand pounds, and affords a great quantity of oil, which is used for lamps, and to cure bruises, burns, and rheumatic complaints. It is viviparous, and frequents the northern seas. [See Squalus.]
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
BASKING SHARK
BASKING SHARK Bask "ing shark `. (Zoöl.)
Defn: 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 of more than forty feet. It is a harmless species.
New American Oxford Dictionary
basking shark
bask ing shark |bæskɪŋ ʃɑrk | ▶noun a large shark that feeds exclusively on plankton and often swims slowly close to the surface, found chiefly in the open ocean. [Cetorhinus maximus, the only member of the family Cetorhinidae. ]
Oxford Dictionary
basking shark
bask |ing shark ▶noun a large shark which feeds exclusively on plankton and typically swims slowly close to the surface, found chiefly in the open ocean. ●Cetorhinus maximus, the only member of the family Cetorhinidae.
The Wordsmith Dictionary