/ʃeɪp/
OriginFrom Middle English shap, 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.
- countable, uncountableThe status or condition of something
“The used bookshop wouldn’t offer much due to the poor shape of the book.”
- countable, uncountableCondition of personal health, especially muscular health.
“The vet checked to see what kind of shape the animal was in.”
“We exercise to keep in good physical shape.”
- countable, uncountableA 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?”
“No design right can exist in features of appearance of a product which are solely dictated by the product's technical function (see Dyson Ltd v Vax Ltd [2010] EWHC 1923 (Pat) which held the shape of t”
- countable, uncountableForm; formation.
“Your head is a funny shape, rather oblong.”
“What if God's plans and actions do mold the shape of human events?”
“A formal feature indicating a pre-Roman origin is word-final i, which is rare in the inherited nominal and adjectival lexicon. On the basis of this we may conclude that ispéli is likely the original s”
- countable, uncountableA geometric figure defined by its surfaces, lines, and angles, existing in 2D or 3D
- countable, uncountableA rolled or hammered piece, such as a bar, beam, angle iron, etc., having a cross section different from merchant bar.
- countable, uncountableA piece which has been roughly forged nearly to the form it will receive when completely forged or fitted.
- archaic, countable, uncountableA mould for making blancmange, jelly, etc., or a piece of such food formed moulded into a particular shape.
“And if I 'm late for supper there 's a dish of macaroni cheese you must put in the oven and a tin of tomatoes to eat with it. And there is a little rhubarb and shape.”
“It was brawn and shape for high tea.”
- countable, uncountableA loaded die.
“A top cheater seldom ever uses shapes or loaded dice because they do not assure you of winning.”
- countable, uncountableIn the Hack programming language, a group of data fields each of which has a name and a data type.
- Northern-England, Scotland, rareTo create or make.
“Earth was shapen by God for God's folk.”
“1685, Satan's Invisible World Discoveredː
Which the mighty God of heaven shope.”
- transitiveTo 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.”
“The professor never pretended to the academic prerogative of forcing his students into his own channels of reasoning; he entered into and helped shape the discussion but above all he made his men lear”
“Think of banking today and the image is of grey-suited men in towering skyscrapers. Its future, however, is being shaped in converted warehouses and funky offices in San Francisco, New York and London”
- To form or manipulate something into a certain shape.
“Mature the Virgin was of Egypt's Race: / Grace ſhap'd her Limbs; and Beauty deck'd her Face: […]”
“Bendtner's goal-bound shot was well saved by goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi but fell to Arsahvin on the edge of the area and the Russian swivelled, shaped his body and angled a sumptuous volley into the corn”
- personTo give influence to.
- To suit; to be adjusted or conformable.
“The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shap'd / Unto my end of stealing them”
- obsoleteTo imagine; to conceive.
“Oft my jealousy / Shapes faults that are not.”
Formsshapes(plural) · shapes(present, singular, third-person) · shaping(participle, present) · shaped(past) · shope(obsolete, past) · shaped(participle, past) · shope(obsolete, participle, past) · shapen(archaic, participle, past) · shape(infinitive) · shape(first-person, present, singular) · shaped(first-person, past, singular) · shope(archaic, first-person, past, singular) · shape(present, second-person, singular) · shapest(archaic, present, second-person, singular) · shaped(past, second-person, singular) · shapedst(archaic, past, second-person, singular) · shope(archaic, past, second-person, singular) · shapeth(archaic, present, singular, third-person) · shaped(past, singular, third-person) · shope(archaic, past, singular, third-person)