Like, omegoid!

[underused]

Yesterday, I spent some time browsing The Phrontistery’s excellent glossary of Forms and Shapes. (Yes, such a thing exists and yes, some of us will read it for fun.)

It turns out almost anything you can name has a specific word to describe its shape—even things one might consider shape*less*.

Also, we are very fond of describing snakes.

---

boniform: having the form of good
igniform: having the shape or form of fire
luciform: like light (not Satan-related)
omegoid: shaped like a horseshoe or omega (hippocrepian is also horseshoe-shaped)
peltastiform: shield-shaped (also aspidate and scutiform)
tauromorphous: bull-shaped
villiform: of the form or shape of velvet (not Lex Luthor-related)
vitriform: of the form or shape of glass

anguiform, colubriform, ophiomorphic, and viperiform: shaped like a snake (or, in the last example, a viper)

Comments

[thedaughteroftyr]

These terms are boniform.

My cat is catiform? Or is that the lump in the blankets that I think is my cat but is actually just a lump in the blankets? Perhaps feliform? Haha

[underused]

The cat is, indeed, feliform (nice), but under the blankets, that cat is cumuliform--shaped like a heap. ☺

[thedaughteroftyr]

Well that just makes sense!

[full_metal_ox]

How could you leave out a stock medical term for part of the human anatomy--the vermiform (worm-shaped) appendix? (A phrase that has the ring of a supplemental volume to the Necronomicon.)

[underused]

Eee, that's a *very* good one.

I was surprised (although I probably shouldn't have been) how many body parts had their own shape words: cardioid, nephroid, colliform, maniform, and on and on.

[amidthestars]

Something I'm wondering is: what has the shape or form of fire (igniform) besides fire itself? Can something be fire-shaped?

[amidthestars]

Okay, on second thought, I feel like I could ask that question about a lot of these.

[underused]

Haha, yes, I had the same thought at first. But things can have a flame-ish shape--like a tree, or a cloud. Do you know what I mean? Obviously really only fire *looks like* fire, but perhaps I would say, "the ring at auction had an igniform stone" or "the buttercream on those avant-garde cupcakes was practically igniform." Tell me you can't picture that cupcake!

I will admit, I have a much harder time with "the shape of velvet." WUT.

[thedaughteroftyr]

If by fire shaped they mean shaped by fire perhaps?

[underused]

This is a really beautiful idea.

[thedaughteroftyr]

Worked in my head. 😊

[merikuru]

I wonder if cauliform is at all related to cauliflower?

Also I feel very limaciform today as I've just got my muscle relaxers filled after two days without them. Moving does not = a thing that is happening right now.

[underused]

First element is from Latin caulis "cabbage" (originally "stem, stalk") which was borrowed into Germanic and is the source of cole in cole-slaw and of Scottish kale. It doesn't say how "stem" became "cabbage," which seems like kind of a big leap.

Incidentally, "coliform" means shaped like a sieve--so that explains colander.

Haha, limaciform--such a fancy way to say it!

[thedaughteroftyr]

I can't hear coliform without thinking of bacteria. Biology nerd....

[merikuru]

Hahah, to be honest I thought of that too!

[merikuru]

Etymology is such an intriguing thing. :D

I am much less limaciform today, I think~