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.
The used bookshop wouldn’t offer much due to the poor shape of the book.
2
Condition 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.
3
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?
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 the Dyson vacuum cleaner to be unregisterable as it was purely functional) [...]2012, Robert Bradgate, Fidelma White, Margaret Llewelyn, Commercial Law, page 429:
4
Form; formation.
Your head is a funny shape, rather oblong.
What if God's plans and actions do mold the shape of human events?2006, Berdj Kenadjian, Martin Zakarian, From Darkness to Light:
1 more example
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 shape of this word.2025, Cid Swanenvleugel, The Pre-Roman Elements of the Sardinian Lexicon, page 356:
5
Geometry, Mathematics, Sciences A geometric figure defined by its surfaces, lines, and angles, existing in 2D or 3D
6
A rolled or hammered piece, such as a bar, beam, angle iron, etc., having a cross section different from merchant bar.
Iron manufacture
7
A piece which has been roughly forged nearly to the form it will receive when completely forged or fitted.
Iron manufacture
8
Cooking, Food, LifestyleArchaic A 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.1918 March, Rebecca West [pseudonym; Cicily Isabel Fairfield], chapter IV, in The Return of the Soldier, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., published 1918, →OCLC, page 92:
It was brawn and shape for high tea.1978, Jane Gardam, God on the Rocks, Abacus, published 2014, page 111:
A top cheater seldom ever uses shapes or loaded dice because they do not assure you of winning.1961, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Government Operations. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Gambling and Organized Crime: Hearings, page 76:
10
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences In the Hack programming language, a group of data fields each of which has a name and a data type.
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.
1685, Satan's Invisible World Discoveredː Which the mighty God of heaven shope.
2
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.
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 learn to think for themselves and rely upon their own intellectual judgments.1932, The American Scholar, United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa, page 227:
1 more example
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, where bright young things in jeans and T-shirts huddle around laptops, sipping lattes or munching on free food.2013 August 3, “Revenge of the nerds”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
3
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: […]1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, book II (Pleasure), page 437:
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 corner.2010 December 29, Mark Vesty, “Wigan 2-2 Arsenal”, in BBC:
4
Person, Of a country To give influence to.
5
To suit; to be adjusted or conformable.
The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shap'd / Unto my end of stealing them1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:
Oft my jealousy / Shapes faults that are not.c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]: