underused: an illustration of a collared trogon,  a type of tropical bird (Default)
underused ([personal profile] underused) wrote in [community profile] wotd2017-07-26 09:05 am

Like, omegoid!

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)

merikuru: (Thoughtful face)

[personal profile] merikuru 2017-07-27 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
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.
thedaughteroftyr: A black and white photo of me vaping (Default)

[personal profile] thedaughteroftyr 2017-07-27 03:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I can't hear coliform without thinking of bacteria. Biology nerd....
merikuru: (Default)

[personal profile] merikuru 2017-07-27 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Hahah, to be honest I thought of that too!
merikuru: (:O)

[personal profile] merikuru 2017-07-27 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Etymology is such an intriguing thing. :D

I am much less limaciform today, I think~