Glossary of shapes with metaphorical names

 ( Shapes ) 

Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are : these 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, etc. These terms may variously refer to objects, their cross sections or projections.

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Types of shapes Some of these names are "classical terms", i.e., words of Latin or Ancient Greek etymology. Others are English language 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., leaf shape of plant leaves in botany.

• Astroid
• Aquiline nose, shaped like an eagle's beak (as in a Roman nose)
• Bell curve
• Biconic shape, a shape in a way opposite to the hourglass: it is based on two oppositely oriented cones or with their bases joined; the cones are not necessarily the same
• Bowtie shape, in two dimensions
• Atmospheric reentry apparatus
• Centerbody of an inlet cone in
• Bow shape
• Bow curve
• Bullet Nose an open-ended hourglass
• Butterfly curve (algebraic)
• Bicorn, also known as Bicorn
• Cone (from the Greek word for « pine cone »)
• Torus
• Egg-shaped, see "Oval", below
• Geoid (From Greek Ge (γη) for "Earth"), the term specifically introduced to denote the approximation of the shape of the Earth, which is approximately spherical, but not exactly so
• Heart shape, long been used for its varied symbolism
• Horseshoe-shaped, resembling a horseshoe, cf. horseshoe (disambiguation). In botany, also called lecotropal (see below)
• Hourglass shape or hourglass figure, the one that resembles an hourglass; nearly symmetric shape wide at its ends and narrow in the middle; some flat shapes may be alternatively compared to the or hourglass
• Dog bone shape, an hourglass with rounded ends
• Hourglass corset
• Talking drum
• Engraved Hourglass Nebula
• Inverted bell
• Kite
• Lecotropal, in botany, shaped like a horseshoe (see horseshoe-shaped, above). From Greek λέκος dish + -τροπος turning
  Michael Allaby (2015). 9781604697155, Timber Press. . ISBN 9781604697155
  Eric Partridge (2006). 9781134942176, Taylor & Francis. . ISBN 9781134942176
• Lens or Vesica piscis shape (the latter taking its name from the shape of the lentil seed); see also mandorla, almond-shaped
• Lune, from the Latin word for the Moon
• Maltese Cross curve
• Mandorla, 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
• Oval (from the Latin "ovum" for egg), a descriptive term applied to several kinds of "rounded" shapes, including the egg shape
• Pear shaped, in reference to the shape of a pear, i.e., a generally rounded shape, tapered towards the top and more spherical/circular at the bottom
• Rod, a 3-, solid (filled) cylinder
• Bacillus
• Scarabaeus curve resembling a scarab
• Serpentine shape, shaped like a snake
• Stadium, two half-circles joined by straight sides
• Stirrup curve
• Star a figure with multiple sharp points
• Sunburst
• Tomahawk
• Ungula, shaped like a horse's hoof

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Numbers and letters

• A-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter A
• A-frame, the shape of a common structure that resembles the capital letter A
• A-frame house, a common style of house construction
• A-line skirt 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
• Deltoid, the shape that resembles the Greek capital letter Δ
• Deltahedron
• Deltoid muscle
• River delta
• Delta wing
• E-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter E
• of may be E-shaped
• A number of notable buildings have an E-shaped floorplan
• 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, a beam with H-shaped section
• Goals in several sports (gridiron football (old style), Gaelic football, Rugby football, hurling) are described as "H-shaped"
• H topology in electronic filter design
• Also see Balbis
• I-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter in a serif font, i.e., with horizontal strokes
• I-beam, a beam with an -shaped section
• The court in the Mesoamerican ballgame is I-shaped
• J-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter J
• K-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter K
• Recession shapes
• 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
• L game
• L-shaped recession
• Lemniscate, the shape that resembles the infinity symbol
• 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
• P-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter P
• P-trap, 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, an S-shaped bend in the human intestine
• S-twist, contrasted with Z-twist for yarn

• T-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter T
• T junction
• T topology in electronic filter design
• T-shaped (chemistry)
• T-shaped skills, a format for résumés
• T-shirt
• T-pose, used in computer animation models
• U-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter U
• U-shaped valley
• U-turn
• U-shaped recession
• 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 (which includes the inverted-V shape)
• V-shaped valley
• V-shaped recession
• Body shape – 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
• X topology in electronic filter design
• , 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
• Z-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter Z (interchangeable with the N-shape)
• Z-twist, contrasted with S-twist for yarn

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See also

• List of geometric shapes
• The Curves lists numerous metaphorical names, such as
• , also called Nephroids, from the Greek word for kidney

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