shape
/ˈʃeɪ̯p/ noun, verb
Forms shapes shaping shaped shapen shope shapest shapedst shapeth
- noun The status or condition of something “The used bookshop wouldn’t offer much due to the poor shape of the book.”
- noun Condition of personal health, especially muscular health. “The vet checked to see what kind of shape the animal was in.”
- noun A graphical representation of an object's form or its external boundary, outline, or external surface. “What shape shall we use for the cookies? Stars, circles, or diamonds?”
- noun Form; formation. “Your head is a funny shape, rather oblong.”
- noun (geometry) A geometric figure defined by its surfaces, lines, and angles, existing in 2D or 3D
- noun (iron manufacture) A rolled or hammered piece, such as a bar, beam, angle iron, etc., having a cross section different from merchant bar.
- noun (iron manufacture) A piece which has been roughly forged nearly to the form it will receive when completely forged or fitted.
- noun (cooking, now rare) A mould for making blancmange, jelly, etc., or a piece of such food formed moulded into a particular shape.
- verb (Northern England, Scotland, rare) To create or make. “Earth was shapen by God for God's folk.”
- verb (transitive) To give something a shape and definition. “Shape the dough into a pretzel. For my art project, I plan to shape my clay lump into a bowl.”
- verb To form or manipulate something into a certain shape.
- verb (of a country, person, etc) To give influence to.
- verb To suit; to be adjusted or conformable.
- verb (obsolete) To imagine; to conceive.
Synonyms
form Gestalt mold shapen configuration contour conformation human body physical body material body soma build figure physique anatomy bod chassis frame flesh embodiment cast condition Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe pattern determine influence regulate work mould forge
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To form or create; especially, to mold or make into a particular form; to give proper form or figure to. I was shapen in iniquity. Ps. li. 5.
- verb To adapt to a purpose; to regulate; to adjust; to direct; as, to shape the course of a vessel.
- verb To suit; to be adjusted or conformable. [R.] Shak.
- noun Character or construction of a thing as determining its external appearance; outward aspect; make; figure; form; guise; as, the shape of a tree; the shape of the head; an elegant shape.
Etymology [OE. shapen, schapen, AS. sceapian. The p. p. shapen is from the strong verb, AS. scieppan, scyppan, sceppan, p. p. sceapen. See Shape, n.]
Etymology [OE. shap, schap, AS. sceap in gesceap creation, creature, fr. the root of scieppan, scyppan, sceppan, to shape, to do, to effect; akin to OS. giskeppian, OFries. skeppa, D. scheppen, G. schaffen, OHG. scaffan, scepfen, skeffen, Icer. skapa, skepja, Dan. skabe, skaffe, Sw. skapa, skaffa, Goth. gaskapjan, and perhaps to E. shave, v. Cf. -ship.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “shape”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details