Pupiform

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Resembling the form of a juvenile animal, especially a young dog, this shape is often characterized by a bulging center that tapers toward both ends
2. It refers to an outline that mimics the rounded and narrow features of youthful canines, appearing inflated in the middle while narrowing at either end
3. Referring to a shape that looks like a young dog, this term describes an object that has a swollen center and tapered ends resembling a pup's form

Etymology: The supplied meaning is wrong: "pupiform" has nothing to do with dogs or pups. It comes from "pupa", the Latin word for a doll or puppet, which in later scientific use names the resting, transformational stage of an insect such as a moth or butterfly. The "pup" in the gloss is a misreading of "pupa", which sounds similar but is unrelated to the young of a dog. The adjective is built simply by adding the suffix "-iform", from Latin "forma" meaning shape, to "pupa". So "pupiform" means "having the shape of a pupa", describing things shaped like the chrysalis or cocoon-stage form of an insect. The suffix "-iform" is a combining form used in scientific description, and most such words were coined in the 18th and 19th centuries from Latin and Greek roots.