Spearlike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the shape or form of a spear, with a long slender body that tapers to a sharp point
2. Shaped like a spear, narrow and elongated with a pointed tip at one end
3. Resembling a spear in form, being long, slim and ending in a sharp, pointed extremity

Etymology: "Spearlike" is about as transparent as English compounds get: "spear" joined to the suffix "-like," meaning "resembling or having the form of." The suffix itself is old, coming from Old English "gelīc," meaning "having the same body or form," and over the centuries it became a productive way to coin adjectives describing resemblance, as in "childlike," "godlike," or "catlike." The base word "spear" has an equally plain lineage. It comes from Old English "spere," a word for the weapon used for thrusting or throwing, and it is related to words in other Germanic languages with the same sense. Attaching "-like" to it simply gives a new adjective meaning "shaped like a spear" or "having a spear's pointed, slender form," a use that fits naturally into English's general habit of describing physical shapes this way.

Synonyms: lanceolate