Shape

How to spell shape

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce shape

What does shape mean?

1. nounThe external form or outline of something.
2. verbTo form or influence something into a particular form or direction.

Shape in a sentence

• noun

  The architect sketched a building in the shape of a curved wave.

• verb

  The potter used both hands to shape the wet clay on the wheel.

• noun

  After months at the gym she was in excellent physical shape.

• verb

  Early experiences can shape how a person handles money later in life.

Where does shape come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English word descending from Old English, where the verb scieppan meant 'to create or form' and the noun gesceap meant 'a form, a creation, or even a created thing'. The root belongs to the wider Germanic family, related to forms in Old Norse and Old High German that all circled around the idea of making and fashioning. Over the centuries the noun lost its old ge- prefix and the spelling settled on the simple 'shape' we use today, with the final silent e marking the long 'ay' vowel. A fascinating relative survives in the suffix '-ship' (as in friendship or hardship), which comes from the very same root and originally meant the state or condition something was shaped into. Because the word is so old and short, its spelling rarely troubles adults, though the silent final e is the only quiet point of caution.

How the word is built

• shap- (from Old English sceap/scieppan: form, create)
• silent -e