Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

s: these

shape A shape is a graphics, graphical representation of an object's form or its external boundary, outline, or external Surface (mathematics), surface. It is distinct from other object properties, such as color, Surface texture, texture, or material ...

s are named after a most common object that has it. For example, "U-shape" is a shape that resembles the letter U, a bell-shaped curve has the shape of the vertical cross section of a

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

, etc. These terms may variously refer to objects, their cross sections or projections.

Types of shapes

Some of these names are "classical terms", i.e., words of

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

. Others are

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

constructs (although the base words may have non-English etymology). In some disciplines, where shapes of subjects in question are a very important consideration, the shape naming may be quite elaborate, see, e.g., the taxonomy of shapes of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

. *

Astroid In mathematics, an astroid is a particular type of roulette curve: a hypocycloid with four cusp (singularity), cusps. Specifically, it is the Locus (mathematics), locus of a point on a circle as it Rolling, rolls inside a fixed circle with f ...

* Aquiline, shaped like an eagle's beak (as in a Roman nose) * Bell-shaped curve * Biconic shape, a shape in a way opposite to the hourglass: it is based on two oppositely oriented

cones In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the ''apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...

truncated cone In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the '' apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...

s with their bases joined; the cones are not necessarily the same ** Bowtie shape, in two dimensions ** Atmospheric reentry apparatus ** Centerbody of an

inlet cone Inlet cones (sometimes called shock cones or inlet centerbodies) are a component of some supersonic aircraft and missiles. They are primarily used on ramjets, such as the D-21 Tagboard and Lockheed X-7. Some turbojet aircraft including the S ...

ramjet A ramjet is a form of airbreathing jet engine that requires forward motion of the engine to provide air for combustion. Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds around and can operate up to . Ramjets can be particularly appropriat ...

s * Bow shape **

Bow curve In algebraic geometry, a quartic plane curve is a plane algebraic curve of the fourth degree. It can be defined by a bivariate quartic equation: :Ax^4+By^4+Cx^3y+Dx^2y^2+Exy^3+Fx^3+Gy^3+Hx^2y+Ixy^2+Jx^2+Ky^2+Lxy+Mx+Ny+P=0, with at least one of ...

* Bullet Nose an open-ended hourglass *

Butterfly curve (algebraic) In mathematics, the algebraic butterfly curve is a plane algebraic curve of degree six, given by the equation :x^6 + y^6 = x^2. The butterfly curve has a single singularity with delta invariant three, which means it is a curve of genus sev ...

* Cocked hat curve, also known as Bicorn *

Cone In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the '' apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines ...

(from the Greek word for «

pine cone A conifer cone, or in formal botanical usage a strobilus, : strobili, is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants, especially in conifers and cycads. They are usually woody and variously conic, cylindrical, ovoid, to globular, and have scal ...

») * Doughnut shape *

Egg-shaped An oval () is a closed curve in a plane (geometry), plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas of mathematics (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.), it is given a more precise definitio ...

, see "Oval", below *

Geoid The geoid ( ) is the shape that the ocean surface would take under the influence of the gravity of Earth, including gravitational attraction and Earth's rotation, if other influences such as winds and tides were absent. This surface is exte ...

(From Greek Ge (γη) for "

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

"), the term specifically introduced to denote the approximation of the shape of the

, which is approximately spherical, but not exactly so * Heart shape, long been used for its varied symbolism * Horseshoe-shaped, resembling a

horseshoe A horseshoe is a product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toenail, altho ...

, cf. horseshoe (disambiguation). In

, also called ''lecotropal'' (see below) * Hourglass shape or hourglass figure, the one that resembles an

hourglass An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, or sand clock) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) from the ...

; nearly symmetric shape wide at its ends and narrow in the middle; some flat shapes may be alternatively compared to the

figure eight Figure 8, figure of 8, figure eight, or Figure of Eight may refer to: * 8 (number), in Arabic numerals Geography * Figure Eight Island, North Carolina, United States * Figure Eight Lake, Alberta, Canada * Figure-Eight Loops, feature of the Hi ...

or hourglass ** Dog bone shape, an hourglass with rounded ends **

Hourglass corset An hourglass corset is a garment that produces a silhouette resembling an hourglass shape characterized by wide hips, narrow waist (wasp waist), and wide bust. History Hourglass corsets first became fashionable in the 1830s in Europe and the ...

Ntama The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, which can be used as a form of speech surrogacy by regulating its pitch and rhythm to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tens ...

Engraved Hourglass Nebula The Engraved Hourglass Nebula (also known as MyCn 18) is a young planetary nebula in the southern constellation Musca. It was discovered by Annie Jump Cannon and Margaret W. Mayall during their work on an extended Henry Draper Catalogue (the c ...

Inverted bell The inverted bell is a metaphorical name for a geometric shape that resembles a bell upside-down. By context In architecture, the term is applied to describe the shape of the capitals of Corinthian columns. The inverted bell is used in shape c ...

Kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...

* Lecotropal, in

, shaped like a horseshoe (see ''horseshoe-shaped'', above). From Greek λέκος dish + -τροπος turning * Lens or Vesica shape (the latter taking its name from the shape of the

lentil The lentil (''Vicia lens'' or ''Lens culinaris'') is an annual plant, annual legume grown for its Lens (geometry), lens-shaped edible seeds or ''pulses'', also called ''lentils''. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in Legume, pods, usually w ...

seed); see also

mandorla A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, i.e. a frame that surrounds the totality of an iconographic figure. It is usually synonymous with '' vesica'', a lens shape. Mandorlas often surround the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in tra ...

, almond-shaped *

Lune Lune may refer to: Rivers *River Lune, in Lancashire and Cumbria, England *River Lune, Durham, in County Durham, England *Lune (Weser), a 43 km-long tributary of the Weser in Germany *Lune River (Tasmania), in south-eastern Tasmania, Australia Pl ...

, from the Latin word for the Moon * Maltese Cross curve *

Mandorla A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, i.e. a frame that surrounds the totality of an iconographic figure. It is usually synonymous with '' vesica'', a lens shape. Mandorlas often surround the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in tra ...

, almond-shaped (Italian for "almond"), often used as a frame in mediaeval Christian iconography. * Mushroom shape, which became infamous as a result of the

mushroom cloud A mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped flammagenitus cloud of debris, smoke, and usually condensed water vapour resulting from a large explosion. The effect is most commonly associated with a nuclear explosion, but any sufficiently e ...

Oval An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas of mathematics (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.), it is given a more precise definition, which may inc ...

(from the Latin "ovum" for

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

), a descriptive term applied to several kinds of "rounded" shapes, including the egg shape * Pear shaped, in reference to the shape of a

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

, i.e., a generally rounded shape, tapered towards the top and more spherical/circular at the bottom * Rod, a 3-

dimension In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus, a line has a dimension of one (1D) because only one coo ...

al,

solid Solid is a state of matter where molecules are closely packed and can not slide past each other. Solids resist compression, expansion, or external forces that would alter its shape, with the degree to which they are resisted dependent upon the ...

(filled)

cylinder A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...

** Rod shaped bacteria * Scarabaeus curve resembling a scarab * Serpentine, shaped like a snake *

Stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

, two half-circles joined by straight sides * Stirrup curve *

Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

a figure with multiple sharp points *

Sunburst A sunburst is a design or figure commonly used in architectural ornaments and design patterns and possibly pattern books. It consists of rays or "beams" radiating out from a central disk in the manner of sunbeams. Sometimes part of a sunbur ...

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...

Ungula In solid geometry, an ungula is a region of a solid of revolution, cut off by a plane oblique to its base. A common instance is the spherical wedge. The term ''ungula'' refers to the hoof of a horse, an anatomical feature that defines a class of ma ...

, shaped like a horse's hoof

Numbers and letters

* A-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter A **

A-frame An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a Structural load, load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized Beam (structure), beams, arranged in an angle of 45 degrees or less, attached a ...

, the shape of a common structure that resembles the capital letter A **

A-frame house An A-frame building is an architectural style of building that features steeply-angled sides (roofline) that usually begin at or near the foundation line, and meet at the top in the shape of the letter '' A''. An A-frame ceiling can be open t ...

, a common style of house construction **

A-line skirt An A-line skirt is a skirt that is fitted at the hips and gradually widens towards the hem, giving the impression of the shape of a capital letter A. The term is also used to describe dresses and coats with a similar shape. History The term was ...

or dress * B-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter B * C-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter C * D-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter D **

D-ring A D-ring is an item of hardware, usually a tie-down metal ring shaped like a capital letter 'D' used primarily as a lashing or attachment point. The term is found interchangeably spelled in different forms, such as: ''D ring'', ''D-ring'' or ' ...

* Deltoid, the shape that resembles the Greek capital letter Δ **

Deltahedron A deltahedron is a polyhedron whose faces are all equilateral triangles. The deltahedron was named by Martyn Cundy, after the Greek capital letter delta resembling a triangular shape Δ. Deltahedra can be categorized by the property of convexi ...

Deltoid muscle The deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder, human shoulder. It is also known as the 'common shoulder muscle', particularly in other animals such as the domestic cat. Anatomically, the deltoid muscle is made up o ...

River delta A river delta is a landform, archetypically triangular, created by the deposition of the sediments that are carried by the waters of a river, where the river merges with a body of slow-moving water or with a body of stagnant water. The creat ...

Delta wing A delta wing is a wing shaped in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta (letter), delta (Δ). Although long studied, the delta wing did not find significant practical applications unti ...

* E-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter E **

Magnetic core A magnetic core is a piece of magnetism, magnetic material with a high magnetic permeability used to confine and guide magnetic fields in electrical, electromechanical and magnetic devices such as electromagnets, transformers, electric motors, ele ...

s of

transformer In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...

s may be E-shaped ** A number of notable buildings have an E-shaped

floorplan In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan is a technical drawing to Scale (ratio), scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a struct ...

* F-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter F * Figure 0, the shape that resembles the numeral 0 * Figure 1, the shape that resembles the numeral 1 * Figure 2, the shape that resembles the numeral 2 * Figure 3, the shape that resembles the numeral 3 * Figure 4, the shape that resembles the numeral 4 * Figure 5, the shape that resembles the numeral 5 * Figure 6, the shape that resembles the numeral 6 * Figure 7, the shape that resembles the numeral 7 * Figure 8, the shape that resembles the numeral 8 * Figure 9, the shape that resembles the numeral 9 * G-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter G * H-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter H **

H-beam An I-beam is any of various structural members with an - (serif capital letter 'I') or H-shaped cross-section. Technical terms for similar items include H-beam, I-profile, universal column (UC), w-beam (for "wide flange"), universal beam (UB), ...

, a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

with H-shaped section ** Goals in several sports (

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

(old style),

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

) are described as "H-shaped" ** H topology in electronic filter design ** Also see

Balbis In geometry, a balbis is a geometric shape that can be colloquially defined as a single (primary) line that is terminated by a (secondary) line at one endpoint and by a (secondary) line at the other endpoint. The terminating secondary lines are a ...

* I-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter in a

serif font In typography, a serif () is a small line or stroke regularly attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter or symbol within a particular font or family of fonts. A typeface or "font family" making use of serifs is called a serif typeface ( ...

, i.e., with horizontal strokes ** -beam, a beam with an -shaped section ** The court in the

Mesoamerican ballgame The Mesoamerican ballgame (, , ) was a sport with ritual associations played since at least 1650 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica. The sport had different versions in different places during the millennia, and a modernized ...

is I-shaped * J-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter J * K-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter K ** K-shaped recession ** K turn * L-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter L ** L-beam, a beam with an L-shaped section **

The L-Shaped Room ''The L-Shaped Room'' is a 1962 British drama romance film written and directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1960 novel by Lynne Reid Banks. It tells the story of Jane Fosset, a young French woman, unmarried and pregnant, who moves into a che ...

L game The L game is a simple abstract strategy board game invented by Edward de Bono. It was introduced in his book ''The Five-Day Course in Thinking'' (1967). Description The L game is a two-player game played on a board of 4×4 squares. Each player ...

** L-shaped recession * Lemniscate, the shape that resembles the

infinity symbol The infinity symbol () is a mathematical symbol representing the concept of infinity. This symbol is also called a ''lemniscate'', after the lemniscate curves of a similar shape studied in algebraic geometry, or "lazy eight", in the terminolo ...

* M-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter M (interchangeable with the W-shape) * N-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter N (interchangeable with the Z-shape) * O-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter O **

O-ring An O-ring, also known as a packing or a toric joint, is a mechanical gasket in the shape of a torus; it is a loop of elastomer with a round cross section (geometry), cross-section, designed to be seated in a groove and compressed during assembl ...

* P-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter P **

P-trap In plumbing, a trap is a U-shaped portion of pipe designed to trap liquid or gas to prevent unwanted flow; most notably sewer gases from entering buildings while allowing waste materials to pass through. In oil refineries, traps are used to ...

, a P-shaped pipe under a sink or basin * Pi-shape, the shape that resembles the Greek capital letter Π ** Π topology in electronic filter design * Q-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter Q * R-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter R * S-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter S ** The

sigmoid colon The sigmoid colon (or pelvic colon) is the part of the large intestine that is closest to the rectum and anus. It forms a loop that averages about in length. The loop is typically shaped like a Greek letter sigma (ς) or Latin letter S (thus ''s ...

, an S-shaped bend in the human intestine **

S-twist In the textile arts, plying (from the French verb ''plier'', "to fold", from the Latin verb ''plico'', from the ancient Greek verb .) is a process of twisting one or more strings (called strands or plies) of yarn together to create a stronger yarn. ...

, contrasted with Z-twist for yarn * T-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter T **

T junction A three-way junction (or three-way intersection) is a type of road intersection with three arms. A Y junction (or Y intersection) generally has three arms of equal size coming at an acute or obtuse angle to each other; while a T junction (or T ...

** T topology in electronic filter design **

T-shaped (chemistry) In chemistry, T-shaped molecular geometry describes the structures of some molecules where a central atom has three ligands. Ordinarily, three-coordinated compounds adopt trigonal planar or pyramidal geometries. Examples of T-shaped molecules are ...

T-shaped skills The concept of T-shaped skills, or T-shaped persons is a metaphor used in job recruitment to describe the abilities of persons in the workforce. The vertical bar on the letter ''T'' represents the depth of related skills and expertise in a single f ...

, a format for résumés **

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shir ...

T-pose In computer animation, a T-pose is a default posing for a humanoid 3D model's skeleton before it is animated. It is called so because of its shape: the straight legs and arms of a humanoid model combine to form a capital letter T. When the arms ...

, used in computer animation models * U-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter U **

U-shaped valley U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of Glacial period, glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with s ...

U-turn A U-turn in driving refers to performing a 180° rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the U, letter U. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others, it is treated as ...

U-shaped recession Recession shapes or recovery shapes are used by economists to describe different types of recessions and their subsequent recoveries. There is no specific academic theory or classification system for recession shapes; rather the terminology is us ...

* Hyoid, the shape that resembles the Greek letter υ ** Hyoid bone * V-shape, the shape that resembles the letter V, also known as the Chevron (insignia), Chevron (which includes the inverted-V shape) ** V-shaped valley ** V-shaped recession ** Body shape, V-shaped body – male human body shape with broad shoulders ** V-shaped passage grave ** V sign ** V-tail * W-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter W (interchangeable with the M-shape) ** W-shaped recession * X-shape, the shape that resembles the letter X ** Saltire ** Electronic filter topology, X topology in electronic filter design * wikt:chiasm, Chiasm, crossings that resemble the Greek letter χ ** Chiasmus ** Chiastic structure ** Optic chiasm * Y-shape, the shape that resembles the letter Y ** Y-front briefs ** Pall (heraldry), Pall * Z-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter Z (interchangeable with the N-shape) ** Z-twist, contrasted with S-twist for yarn

References

{{Reflist Geometric shapes, Wikipedia glossaries, Shapes Glossaries of mathematics, Shapes Lists of shapes, Glossary Wikipedia glossaries using unordered lists

Types of shapes

Numbers and letters

See also

References