Shaftlike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Resembling or having the form of a long, slender rod or column; characteristic of a narrow and elongated structure; similar in shape to a cylindrical or tapered shaft
2. Displaying qualities of a stretched, tubular form; pertaining to something shaped like a rod or bar; indicative of a linear and slender design
3. Having the appearance or structure of a slim, elongated axis; relating to objects that are narrow and rod-shaped; showing traits of a pillar or shaft in shape and proportion

Etymology: "Shaftlike" is a plain compound: "shaft" plus the suffix "-like," which attaches to nouns to mean "resembling" or "having the form of" the noun. So the word simply means "resembling a shaft," and its meaning comes straight from its parts. The noun "shaft" has a long history of its own. In Old English "sceaft" meant the long handle of a spear, arrow or tool, and the sense of a long, narrow, straight object like a rod or pole grew out of that. Mining later gave the word its vertical passage sense, and the arrow and spear sense remains behind in phrases like "to get the shaft." The suffix "-like" comes from Old English "-lic," the same root as "like" in its sense of "similar." English has produced many such adjectives, such as "godlike" and "childlike," and "shaftlike" follows that pattern, describing things that are long, slender and rod-shaped, such as certain plant stems or cylindrical structures.

Synonyms: rodlike, cylindrical, columnar, elongated

Antonyms: flat, broad, wide