shape
/ˈʃeɪ̯p/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.72 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A graphical representation of an object's form or its external boundary, outline, or external surface.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A geometric figure defined by its surfaces, lines, and angles, existing in 2D or 3D
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A rolled or hammered piece, such as a bar, beam, angle iron, etc., having a cross section different from merchant bar.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A piece which has been roughly forged nearly to the form it will receive when completely forged or fitted.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A mould for making blancmange, jelly, etc., or a piece of such food formed moulded into a particular shape.
Archaic; Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The used bookshop wouldn’t offer much due to the poor shape of the book."
- "The vet checked to see what kind of shape the animal was in."
- "We exercise to keep in good physical shape."
- "What shape shall we use for the cookies? Stars, circles, or diamonds?"
- "No design right can exist in features of appearance of a product which are solely dictated by the product's technical function (see Dyson Ltd v Vax Ltd [2010] EWHC 1923 (Pat) which held the shape of the Dyson vacuum cleaner to be unregisterable as it was purely functional) [...]"
- "Your head is a funny shape, rather oblong."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *gaskap Old English ġesċeap Proto-Germanic *skēpą Proto-West Germanic *skāp Old English sċeap Middle English schap English shape From Middle English schap, schape, from Old English ġesceap (“shape, form, created being, creature, creation, dispensation, fate, condition, sex, gender, genitalia”), from Proto-West Germanic *ga- + *skap, from Proto-Germanic *ga- + *skapą (“shape, nature, condition”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kep- (“to split, cut”). The verb is from Middle English shapen, schapen, from Old English scieppan (“to shape, form, make, create, assign, arrange, destine, order, adjudge”), from Proto-West Germanic *skappjan, from Proto-Germanic *skapjaną (“to create”), from the noun. The noun is cognate with Middle Dutch schap (“form”), Middle High German geschaf (“creature”), Icelandic skap (“state, condition, temper, mood”). The verb is cognate with Dutch scheppen, German schaffen, Swedish skapa (“create, make”), Norwegian Bokmål skape (“create”). Doublet of -ship.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
shapes (plural)
shapes (present, singular)
shaping (participle, present)
shaped (past)
shope (obsolete, past)
shaped (participle, past)
shope (obsolete, participle)
shapen (archaic, participle)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
shaped (first person, past)
shope (archaic, first person)
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
:Category:Shapes