Glossary of shapes with metaphorical names

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Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are metaphors: these shapes 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.

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., the taxonomy of shapes of plant leaves in botany.

Astroid
Bell-shaped curve
Biconic shape, a shape in a way opposite to the hourglass: it is based on oppositely oriented two cones or truncated cones with their bases joined. The cones are not necessarily the same.
- Atmospheric reentry apparatus
- Centerbody of an inlet cone in ramjets
Bow shape
- Bow curve
Cone (From Greek word for pine cone)
Deltoid
Egg-shaped, see "Oval"
Fish bladder
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, has long been used for various symbolism
Hourglass shape or hourglass figure, the one that resembles hourglass. If one takes two copies of a shape wide at one end that narrows to the other end and connect them symmetrically by narrow ends, the resulting shape is usually called "hourglass shape". In other words, a hourglass shape is a (nearly) symmetric shape wide at its ends and narrow in the middle. Some flat shapes may be alternatively compared to figure eight or hourglass. The classical female body shape is often compared to hourglass.
Inverted bell
Mushroom shape, became infamous as an association with the mushroom cloud.
Oval (geometry) (from 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 to the bottom. The term acquired a number of metaphorical meanings.
Rod (geometry), a 3-dimensional, solid (filled) cylinder.
- Rod shaped bacteria
Tomahawk (geometric shape)

[edit] Letters and numbers

E-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter E
- Magnetic cores of transformers may be E-shaped
- A number of notable buildings have an E-shaped floorplan
H-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter H
- H-beam, a beam with H-shaped section
- Goals in several sports (football, Gaelic football, rugby, hurling) are described as "H-shaped"
I-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter I in a serif font, i.e., with horizontal strokes
- I-beam, a beam with H-shaped section
- The court in the Mesoamerican ballgame is I-shaped
L-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter L
- The L-Shaped Room
- L game
T-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter T
- T junction
U-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter U
- U-shaped valley
- U-turn
V-shape, the shape that resembles the letter V
- V-shaped valley
- V-shaped passage grave
X-shape, the shape that resembles the letter X
Y-shape, the shape that resembles the capital letter Y and refers to various bifurcations, when a narrow shape is split into two at one end. It is sometimes referred to as "forked shape" or simply "fork".
- Y-ligament