▪ I. shape, n.1
(ʃeɪp)
Forms: 1 ᵹescap, ᵹesceap, sceap, 2–6 schap, 3 scap(p, scape, scheap, 3 (Ormin), 5 shapp, 3–6 schape, 3–7, 9 dial. shap, 4–6 schapp(e, 4–7 shappe, (5 chap), 5– 7 schaip, 6 scheaip, scheap, 3– shape.
[repr. OE. ᵹesceap neut., creation, creature; make, structure, natural character; form, figure, configuration; pudendum (in this sense also sceap neut.); also decree, destiny; f. Teut. root *skap-: see shape v. Cf. OS. giskap, only pl. giskapu creatures, also ordinances, decrees (of God), ON. skap neut., state, condition; pl. fate, destiny, also, with suffixed article skǫp-in the genitals.
The OE. word is normally represented by the dial. form shap; the form shape (with lengthened vowel due to the influence of shape v.) did not become common till the 15th c., though occasional examples, perh. due to inflexion, are found early in the 13th c.]
I. 1. a. External form or contour; that quality of a material object (or geometrical figure) which depends on constant relations of position and proportionate distance among all the points composing its outline or its external surface; a particular variety of this quality.
| c 1050 Suppl. ælfric's Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 179/26 Uolubile scema, sinewealt ᵹesceap. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 99 Ac on þe holi fleis bileueð þe shap and hiu, and smul of ouelete. a 1300 Cursor M. 370 Al scaples was [þe matere] noght for-þi Þat it o scap ne had parti. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1031 Round was the shap, in manere of compass. a 1425 tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula, etc. (1910) 9 ‘Siringa’ is an holow instrument by þe middez, and it ow to be made of the shappe as it is peynted here. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 25 An Appell of Golde, representynge the shape of the rounde worlde. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iv. ii. 309, I know the shape of 's Legge. 1710 J. Clarke tr. Rohault's Nat. Philos. (1729) I. 145 A Glass of the common Shape. 1860 Tyndall Glac. ii. xxii. 346 By pressure ice can be moulded to any shape. 1896 Wells Wheels of Chance xxxvii. 284 The clerical person on the tricycle assumed the shape of a note of interrogation. Mod. All circles have the same shape; ellipses have different shapes. |
b. to keep in shape: to secure from change of shape.
out of shape: changed from its proper shape.
| 1696 J. F. Merch. Wareho. laid open 6 English Canvas..will not retch, nor let Stays out of shape. 1834 J. Forbes Laennec's Dis. Chest (ed. 4) 5 A cylinder of paper, formed of three quires, compactly rolled together, and kept in shape by paste. |
c. The contour or outlines of the trunk of the body.
| c 1393 Chaucer Scogan 31 On alle hem that ben hore and round of schap. c 1450 Holland Howlat 68, I se be my schadowe my schape has the wyte. 1702 tr. Le Clerc's Prim. Fathers 102 It's said that he was a Man of large Shape. 1753 A. Murphy Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 53 You may meet a Lady To-day with an elegant Shape, fine by Degrees and delicately less. 1805–6 Cary Dante, Inf. xx. 114 That other, round the loins So slender of his shape, was Michael Scot. 1855 Tennyson Maud i. x. 29 Maud could be gracious too, no doubt To a lord, a captain, a padded shape. |
d. Impressed or represented form; a picture, image.
Obs. exc. dial. (see
Eng. Dial. Dict.).
| c 1400 Mandeville (1839) viii. 96 There schewethe the schapp of his left Foot, in the Ston. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 252 Quhair ye sall find the schap of the kingis schipe and hir pictour. 1600 Shakes. Sonn. xxiv, Mine eyes haue drawne thy shape. 1649 Milton Eikon. 218 An ill Painter by writing on the shapeless Picture which he hath drawn, is fain to tell passengers what shape it is. |
† e. In certain Biblical expressions, used for
form (
= L.
forma,
Gr. µορϕή). Also, used for
form in philosophical sense.
Obs.| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. x. 32 Bote Mon is him Most lyk of Marke and of schap. ? 1380 Lay Folks Catech. (L.) 943 His lord þat is his maker and made hym thorwe his kendnesse lyk to hym-self in schap. 1526 Tindale Rom. xii. 2 But be ye chaunged in youre shape [µεταµορϕοῦσθε], by the renuynge of youre wittes. 1551 T. Wilson Logic ii. L vij, Whan the shappe or fourme is made: theffect or thyng doen may folow: take awaie the shape, & the vse also is taken awaye. 1587 Golding De Mornay viii. 111 In asmuch as the essentiall shape of man [orig. la forme essentielle de l' homme] is to acknowledge a certeine Godhead [etc.]. |
† 2. a. The make or cut of a garment. [
Cf. shape v.]
Obs. as specific sense.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 424 Hore weaden beon of swuche scheape, & alle hore aturn swuch þet hit beo eðcene hwarto heo beoð i-turnde. 1380 Lay Folks Catech. (L.) 1221 Ne worschipe not men for here fayre cloþes, ne for here qweynte schappis, þat sum men usen. c 1440 York Myst. xxix. 364 Lo, here a shrowde for a shrewe, and of shene shappe! |
† b. Fashion of dress.
Obs.| a 1425 Brut. ii. 296 Þey ordeyned and chaungyd ham euery ȝere diuers schappis of disgy[se]ngez of cloþing. c 1449 Pecock Repr. v. xii. 548 Oon schap of outward habit (name⁓lich such a schap which is rather foul than gay). |
† 3. a. The manner in which a thing is fashioned (by nature or art); make, structure, arrangement of parts; visible aspect.
Obs.| a 1300 Cursor M. 23659 Efter þat þe dome be giuen þe werld..sal haue a scape al neu. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 4893 Þe shappe of þe world sal for-done be. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxvi. 269 Sum men seyn, that thei han the Body upward as an Egle, and benethe as a Lyoun: and treuly thei seyn sothe, that thei ben of that schapp. a 1500 Adrian & Epotys 138 in Brome-bk. 29 On the Fryday god made Adam After hys chap he ȝaffe hym name. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 27 Aug. 1666, The shape of what stood was very meane. |
† b. Form, order and arrangement (of words, etc.); course, order (of a story).
Obs.| c 1350 Will. Palerne 1160 But schortly for to telle þe schap of þis tale, þe duk hade þe douȝtiere men. 1357 Lay Folks Catech. (T.) 284 Ane is right saying and shap of wordes That him augh to sai, that gyffes this sacrement. |
† 4. a. The appearance of a human or animal body or its parts, (often, of the general form as distinguished from the face) considered as beautiful or the contrary.
Obs.| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 503 (Gr.) Þin lichoma leohtra micle, Þin ᵹesceapu scenra. a 1225 Juliana 20 As he biheold ant iseh..hire leofliche schape He sikede as þing þat sare were iwundet. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 7312 Þe kyng byheld þyse bachelers Were faire of schap, & face clers. c 1381 Chaucer Parl. Foules 373 A formele egle of shap the gentilleste. 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) II. 542 Palamydes..was of ryght fayr shapp. 1565 J. Phillip Patient Grissell 1927 (Malone Soc.) Her comly shape Nature hath framd aright. a 1605 Montgomerie Misc. Poems xxxii. 50, I thank my God I shame not of my shap. 1700 T. Brown Amusem. Ser. & Com. 49 Hither come the Country Gentlemen to shew their Shapes. 1734 tr. Rollin's Rom. Hist. (1827) II. 245 His daughter who was of a majestic shape. |
† b. Excellence of form; beauty:
= L.
forma.
| 1382 Wyclif Isa. liii. 3 Ther is not shap to hym, ne fairnesse. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun (1888) 144 Beutee and shappe with out deformytee. a 1535 More Fortune 43 in Songs, Carols, etc. (1907) 73 Thow þat arte prowde of honour, shape or kyne. |
c. colloq. or
slang.
show your shapes: come into view. See also
quots. a 1700 and 1785.
| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Show your Shapes, turn about, march off. 1785 Grose Dict. Vulgar T. s.v., To shew one's shapes; to be stript, or made peel at the whipping post. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth ii, Step forward, I say, and show us thy shapes, man. |
d. slang. (See
quots.) ?
Obs.| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Shapes, said (often) to an ill-made Man. 1735 Dyche & Pardon Dict., Shapes, a Cant Name for a nice finikin Lass that goes extream tightly laced; also of an ill-made, irregular Lump of Flesh, &c. |
† e. An empty fop, a dandy.
Obs.| 1688 Shadwell Sqr. Alsatia iv. i, The most silly beau and shape about the town. |
5. a. The visible form or appearance characteristic of a particular person or thing, or of a particular species of animate or supernatural beings.
| a 1000 in Cockayne Narratiunculæ (1861) 36 Hi beoð oð ðene nafolan on menniscum ᵹesceape. 13.. Cursor M. 17915 (Gött.), I sau apon his licam light In schap of douue þe haligast. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxxii. (Iustin) 382 The feynde..þe schape of a ȝung man tuk. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6320 For Protheus that cowde hym chaunge In euery shap homely and straunge. 1474 Caxton Chesse iii. i. (1883) 76 In the forme & shappe of a man holdynge in his ryght hande [etc.]. 1535 Coverdale Dan. iv. 36, I was restored to the honoure of my kingdome, to my dignite, and to myne owne shappe agayne. 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. iv. 43 Thou com'st in such a questionable shape That I will speake to thee. 1727 De Foe Hist. Appar. i. (1840) 9 So even in Paradise the Devil assumed a shape. 1833–42 Tennyson To ― 19 Not for this Was common clay..temper'd with the tears Of angels to the perfect shape of man. 1910 Hirth in Encycl. Brit. VI. 191/2 The heroes of their accounts appear in shapes somewhat resembling human beings rather than as gods and demigods. |
| fig. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. ii. xvi. 111 No wonder if his scholars hate the Muses, being presented unto them in the shapes of fiends and furies. |
† b. Species, kind (of animate beings).
Obs.| c 1400 Mandeville (1839) Prol. 4 Where dwellen many dyverse Folkes..and of dyverse Schappes of Men. c 1475 Hunt. Hare 38 Jac of the Bregge and Wylle of the Gappe, Thei have dogges of thei olde schappe. |
6. concr. † a. A creature.
Obs.| a 1000 Elene 789 (Gr.) Swa ic þe, weroda weard..þurᵹ þæt beorhte ᵹesceap biddan wille þæt [etc.]. a 1400 R. Brunne's Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8050 Y ne wiste neuere, ne y ne herde, What maner wyght [Petyt MS. schap] wyþ me so ferde. |
b. A person's body considered with regard to its appearance.
| 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster v. i. 13 You both haue vertues, shining through your shapes. 1617 Mure Misc. Poems xviii. 1 Thou, thou, quhose lovelie schaip, of all admyr'de, In robs most rich a richer spreit attyrd. 1812 Shelley Devil's Walk xxiv, A statesman passed—alone to him, The Devil dare his whole shape uncover. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. vi. iii, Shapes rawboned, in high sabots. |
c. An imaginary, spectral, or ethereal form; a phantom. Now
rare.
| 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. ii. 131 To worship shadowes, and adore false shapes. 1610 Beaum. & Fl. Philaster i. i. He..diues into my fancy, and there giues me shapes that kneele and doe me seruice, crie me king. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 649 Before the Gates there sat On either side a formidable shape. 1798 Coleridge Wand. Cain 110 And the Shape shrieked, and turned round, and Cain beheld him. 1820 Shelley Prometh. Unb. iii. i. 51 Awful shape, what art thou? Speak! 1859 FitzGerald Omar xlii, And lately by the Tavern Door agape, Came stealing through the Dusk an Angel Shape. |
| fig. 1734 Watts Reliq. Juv. (1789) 150 Minds released from flesh..may smile at some of the fooleries and airy shapes of reason which we hug and embrace. c 1806 Wordsw. Poems Sentim., Charac. Happy Warrior 72 Whom neither shape of danger can dismay, Nor thought of tender happiness betray. |
d. A figure dimly or uncertainly perceived.
| 1834 Whittier Mogg Megone 477 He hears quick foot⁓steps—a shape flits by. 1847 C. Brontë J. Eyre xxxvii, That narrow front-door was unclosing, and some shape was about to issue from the grange. |
7. Assumed appearance, guise, disguise.
| 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, ii. ii. 27 Ah! that Deceit should steale such gentle shape. 1616 B. Jonson Devil an Ass v. iii. 18 My cossen has knowne These gallants in these shapes. Eve. T'haue don strange things, Sir. One as the Lady, the other as the Squire. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 495 The brute Serpent in whose shape Man I deceav'd. 1726 W. Penn in Life Wks. I. 138 There are but Goats and Sheep at last, whatever Shapes we wear here. 1839 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 117 A devil named Sakhr, came to her in the shape of Solomon. |
8. Theatr. † a. A part, a character impersonated; the make-up and costume suited to a particular part.
Obs. b. A stage dress or suit of clothes.
| 1603 Dekker Magnif. Entert. K. Jas. (1604) H 4, The foure Elements, in proper shapes, (artificially and aptly expressing their qualities). 1623 Massinger Bondman v. iii, Consider This Persian shape laid by, and she appearing In a Greekish dresse,..If she resemble not Pisanders sister? 1661 Pepys Diary 7 Jan., Kinaston, the boy, had the good turn to appear in three shapes: first as a poor woman in ordinary clothes..; then [etc.]. 1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 19 July 2/1 Some want money to bring them up to town; some borrow to supply the addenda to a wardrobe—such as shapes, shoes, and wigs. |
9. a. One of the forms or diversities of appearance, structure, or properties, in which a thing may exist.
| 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 467 Death thou hast seen In his first shape on man. 1727 De Foe Syst. Magic i. iii. (1840) 69 The new magic coming thus in play, let us see..in what shapes it began to appear. 1771–2 Cowper Olney Hymns iii. xviii, Dangers of ev'ry shape and name Attend the followers of the Lamb. 1800 Med. Jrnl. IV. 324 An atony of the uterus, or an irregularity of contraction of the muscular fibres, assuming various shapes. 1842 T. J. Arnold Schiller's Lied von der Glocke (1846) Pref. 5 The following translation, in its original shape, was published in Germany. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xvii. 51 They were familiar with the thing in all manner of shapes. |
b. The phrase
in any (no) shape (or form) is often loosely used for: In any (no) manner, (not) at all.
| 1751 Hollis in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 381 If you will please to inform me how I may be useful to you in any shape. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. xxi, The Lord Keeper resolved that he would do nothing to commit himself, either in one shape or other. 1825 ― Betrothed xxviii, I am in no shape worthy of your farther care. |
c. Phr.
in all shapes and sizes: in a great variety of forms.
| 1958 J. Townsend Young Devils xxi. 196 Parents come in all shapes and sizes. 1967 ‘A. Cordell’ Bright Cantonese xvii. 189 You've got competition..in all shapes and sizes. 1980 P. Moyes Angel Death v. 60 Tourists come in all shapes and sizes. |
10. in the shape of:
a. Represented by, embodied in (a person or thing).
| 1750 Gray Long Story 41 Fame, in the shape of Mr. Purt,..Had told, that [etc.]. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. ii. ii, We there saw Military Rule, in the shape of poor Besenval. 1968 Listener 28 Mar. 400/3 The BBC in the shape of Harman Grisewood referred him to the government. 1976 Eastern Even. News (Norwich) 22 Dec. 14/4 Gothic had mixed luck, falling foul of County Council in the shape of David Simpson. |
b. Of the nature of.
| 1754 H. Walpole Let. to Mann 23 May, There is nothing else in the shape of news but small-pox and miliary fevers. 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting iii. 90, I had nothing in the shape of food. 1871 L. Stephen Playgr. Eur. (1894) ii. 67, I love everything in the shape of a mountain. |
c. In the form of, existing or presenting itself as.
| [1822 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Thoughts on Books, I can read anything which I call a book. There are things in that shape which I cannot allow for such.] 1823 Scott Quentin D. xii, I pique not myself upon managing steel in any other shape than that of a razor. 1835 T. Mitchell Acharn. of Aristoph. 1 note, To gain admission even into this place, it was necessary for the anapæst to present itself in an unbroken form, or..in the shape of a preposition with its case immediately following. 1880 C. R. Markham Peruv. Bark 272, I made an earnest appeal for recognition of his services in the shape of a small pension. |
11. Definite, regular or proper form; orderly arrangement. Phr.
to take shape;
to put into shape.
| 1633 Ford Loves Sacrif. iii. ii, I am so busie with his friuolous proiect, and can bring it to no shape, that it almost confounds my capacity. 1756 Earl of Holdernesse in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. IV. 390 Things begin to take a shape. 1820 Shelley Witch of Atlas iv, Since in that cave a dewy splendour hidden Took shape and motion. 1884 Church Bacon ix. 220 He was quite as much a talker as a writer, and beat out his thoughts into shape in talking. 1893 Law Times XCV. 26/1 It is high time that this branch of the law should be thrown into statutory shape. 1939 Daily Tel. 18 Dec. 1/2 The great grey hulk of Germany's pocket-battleship..began to take shape. 1982 New Scientist 2 Sept. 609/1 The idea that nuclear armaments could be used..had taken firm shape in the minds of the technical people. |
† 12. An attitude (in the manege, dancing, etc.).
| 1576 Gascoigne Grief of Joy iv. xxxix. Wks. 1910 II. 555 Nor he that vaults, or gambolds best in shape, Can coome abowt (yet) nymbly lyke an Ape. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iv. vii. 90, I in forgery of shapes and trickes, Come short of what he did. |
| punningly. 1634 Ford Perk. Warbeck ii. iii, [A tailor says:] For fashioning of shapes, and cutting a crosse-caper turne me off to my trade againe. |
13. Condition, state of health, repair, or fitness.
orig. U.S.| 1865 O. W. Norton Army Lett. (1903) 249, I got through it all in good shape. 1901 Scotsman 4 Sept. 7/5 She [a yacht] seems in a worse shape than at the beginning of the season. 1924 J. Galsworthy Forest ii. ii. 52 With only nine Soudanese..and less than thirty carriers—all in bad shape; it's precious long odds against our getting through. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 24 July 3/5 Most of the corn-growing areas..were in pretty good shape for moisture. |
14. concr. in technical uses.
a. Cookery. A mould for forming jelly, blanc-mange, etc., into a particular shape; a portion of jelly, blanc-mange, etc. moulded into an ornamental shape.
| 1769 Mrs. Raffald Engl. Housekpr. (1778) 201 You must not put the shapes on the jelly till you are going to send it to the table. 1850 Surtees Sponge's Sp. Tour lix. (1853) 340 She had just stolen a shape of blanc-mange. 1889 Baring-Gould Arminell xliv, The puddings were ground rice mould, ‘shape’ Mrs. Welsh called it, rice milk [etc.]. |
b. Millinery. The body of a straw bonnet or woman's hat or cap previous to trimming.
| 1880 Girl's Own Paper 20 Mar. 191/3 You might also buy a shape, and make a little hat to match. 1881 Milliner & Dressmaker Feb. 15/1 First-class milliners prefer to cover their own shapes with plush. |
c. A portion of material cut or moulded so as to have a particular shape;
spec. a piece of rolled or hammered iron of cross-section differing from that of merchant bar; also (see
quot. 1875).
| 1845 Mrs. M. J. Howell Hand-bk. Dress-making 71 Before the velvet is cut out in shapes, a thin paper should be gummed at the back. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech., Shape, a piece of metal roughed out as nearly as may be to the shape it will assume when finally forged and finished. |
d. Naut. A cone, ball, or drum of metal or canvas used in signalling.
| 1879 in Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 100 Three black balls or shapes, each two feet in diameter. |
e. pl. Gambling. (See
quot. 1936.)
U.S. slang.| 1928 [see miss-out]. 1936 Flynn's Mag. 21 Mar. 139/2 ‘Shapes’ are dice which have beveled faces on some sides of the cube. These cause the dice to trip faster when these surfaces strike the playing table. |
f. Bridge. The distribution of suits in a hand of cards.
| 1954 G. S. Coffin Bridge Play from A-Z i. 17 There are in bridge three dominant Playing Shapes: I. No-trump Shape. II. Trump/No-trump Shape. III. Ruff Shape. 1958 Listener 27 Nov. 901/3 The shape is unsuitable for a double—the bidding might go too high. 1961 A. Truscott Bridge ii. 22 The shape of a hand is the way the cards are divided between the four suits. |
† II. 15. What is decreed.
Obs.| Beowulf 3084 (Gr.) Wicum wunian oð woruldende, healdon heah ᵹesceap. a 1000 Riddles xl. 24 (Gr.) Long is to secganne, hu hyre ealdorᵹesceaft æfter gongeð, woh wyrda ᵹesceapu. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 101 Of Godes ordinance he forsoke þe schap. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 180 Sen it is sett to be soo & slipe it ne may, Ne schewid to be na noþire schap. |
III. 16. The sexual organs; the distinctive organ of either sex. Now
dial. in narrower sense, ‘the private parts of a female’ (
Eng. Dial. Dict.).
| a 1000 in Anglia (1888) XI. 2 Þær he on his sceape locode & his to bismere hloh. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 153 Et þe schape þe douel smuȝeð in derneliche hwenne hit bið ȝaru to galiche deden. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 67 Þi shape dide þat hit ne sholde. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶423 Allas! somme of hem shewen the boce of hir shap. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 35 But as sone as þay haden synned, þay seen hor schappe, and wern aschamet þerof, and hydden hit wyth leues of fygge-tre. a 1529 Skelton E. Rummyng 507 Couer thy shap Wyth some flyp-flap. 1639 T. de la Grey Compl. Horsem. 8 Let him cast the cold water upon her shape. |
IV. 17. Comb., as (sense 5)
shape-changer,
shape-shifter;
shape-changing,
shape-shifting (both
adj. and
n.); (sense 14 b)
shape-coverer;
shape elastic adj. phr. Physics, pertaining to or designating a component of the scattering cross-section of an atomic nucleus that is regarded as independent of the formation of a compound nucleus;
shape factor Physics, an algebraic factor in the expression predicting the profile of a spectral line;
† shape-like a., comely, fitting;
shape memory, a property exhibited by certain alloys of recovering their initial shape when they are heated after having been plastically deformed;
† shape mistress (see
quot.);
shape-note (chiefly
U.S.), one of a series of notes having heads of different shapes, used to represent the degrees of a scale;
† shape-smith,
jocular, a corset-maker.
| 1906 W. B. Yeats Poems, 1899–1905 63 Shadows, illusions, That the *shape-changers..have cast into his mind. 1978 H. R. E. Davidson in Porter & Russell Animals in Folklore 141 The tales of shape-changers in the Sagas are not told ‘for true’. |
| 1621 G. Sandys Ovid's Met. ii. (1626) 21 Blew Gods the billowes crown'd, *Shape-changing Proteus, Triton shrill. 1978 H. R. E. Davidson in Porter & Russell Animals in Folklore 127 (heading) Shape-changing in the Old Norse Sagas. |
| 1901 Daily Chron. 6 May 9/4 *Shape Coverer wanted for net work. |
| 1954 H. Feshbach et al. in Physical Rev. XCVI. 449/2 It will be practical..to subdivide the elastic cross section into two parts... We call the second part..the ‘compound elastic’ cross section... The first part we call ‘*shape elastic’ cross section; this is the part of the elastic scattering which occurs without the formation of a compound [nucleus]. 1971 P. E. Hodgson Nuclear Reactions & Nuclear Structure vii. 142 The method of analysis described..applies only to the shape elastic part of elastic-scattering cross-sections. |
| 1955 E. Konopinski in K. Siegbahn Beta- & Gamma-Ray Spectrosc. x. 301, Sn will be called the ‘*shape factor’... Whenever Sn happens to be independent of the energy W,..the spectrum has the ‘statistical shape’ ∼ pW(Wo—W)2, modified only by the Coulomb effect. 1970 Physical Rev.: C I. 644/1 It is important that the correlation coefficients and the energy dependence of the shape factor be known to an accuracy of a few percent to provide a meaningful test of nuclear models. |
| 1672 Wiseman Treat. Wounds i. 15 Be sure in your stitching, you bring the Artery and Vein to his wounded fellow, so shall you the likelyer secure your self, and make the work more *shape-like. |
| 1968 de Lange & Zijderveld in Jrnl. Appl. Physics XXXIX. 2195/1 On heating above 90°C the reverse transformation takes place. The sudden change of configuration into the original shape, which occurs then, is called here the *shape-memory effect. 1975 Nature 22 May 281/2 The spring has to be made of one of the alloys—a select band—which exhibit shape-memory. |
| 1820 J. Caulfield Portraits IV. 70 Mrs. Sarah Mapp..was called the bone-setter, or *shape mistress. |
| 1932 V. Randolph Ozark Mountain Folks 248 Right hyar is whar I get in some good licks for *shape-notes, too. 1980 P. M. Young George Grove vii. 146 The congregational singing in the enthusiastic manner derived from Sacred Harp,..and the ‘shape-note’ books. |
| 1887 A. Lang Myth, Rit. & Relig. II. 19 He was also, like Odin, a ‘*shape-shifter’. |
| 1884 A. Lang in M. Hunt Grimm's Household Tales I. p. lxvii, He escapes with her..by her magical gift of *shape-shifting. 1887 A. Lang Myth, Rit. & Relig. I. 50 Belief in..Metamorphosis or ‘shape shifting’. 1895 A. Nutt in Kuno Meyer Voy. Bran I. 211 We obtain a glimpse of the shape-shifting self-concealing powers of Tuatha De Danann. |
| 1715 Garth Claremont 98 Not yet..broad eyebrows were reduc'd by paste: No *shape-smith set up shop, and drove a trade To mend the work wise Providence had made. |
▸
orig. U.S. Good physical condition; the state of good health or physical fitness. In
in (also into, out of) shape.
Cf. sense 13.
| 1896 N.Y. Times 8 Apr. 6/2 The season has been so backward that none of the local fliers [i.e. racehorses] has had a chance to get in shape or even begin training. 1933 Washington Post 18 Sept. 14/4 Given a few days lay-off from training..he immediately expands into a condition resembling..[an] overstuffed sofa. This proclivity for getting out of shape..may have cost Gallagher. 1941 J. Thurber Let. Aug. (2002) 337, I am rapidly getting into shape again. B-2 injections, haliver oil and luminol have helped tremendously. 1976 M. Apple Oranging of Amer. 91 This gives you a great advantage. A former big leaguer against an out-of-shape Prime Minister. 2001 Arena Aug. 90/2 He likes to keep in shape..but he's no gym bunny. |
▪ II. shape, v. (
ʃeɪp)
Pa. tense
shaped (
ʃeɪpt);
pa. pple. shaped (
ʃeɪpt),
arch. shapen (
ˈʃeɪp(ə)n). Forms:
inf. and pres. stem: α. 1
sceppan,
scyppan, 4
schippe;
3rd pers. sing. 3
shuppieð, (
for-)
schuppeð, 4
scheppeð,
ssepþ. β. 3
ssape (
3rd pers. sing. schepieð), 4–5
shappe, 3–
shape.
pa. tense. α.
strong 1
sc(e)óp, 3
shop, 4
shoop, 6
shoope,
schope, 4–6
shope,
Sc. schupe, 6
showpe; 4
schep; β. 3
scupte,
scopte,
sipte, 3–4
schupte; γ. 4
schapit (
Sc.),
shapte,
schapide, 6–
shaped.
pa. pple. α. 1
sceapen,
scepen, 3
shapenn (
Orm.),
isceapen,
yssape, 4
shape,
ischape,
shappen, 4–
shapen. β. 3 (
for-)
schupped, 4–
schept. γ. 3
ischeaped, 4
yschaped, 4–
shaped.
[A Com. Teut. str. verb, the original conjugation of which is found unaltered only in OE., OFris., OS., and Gothic, while in the other Teut. langs., and in Middle and Modern English, the primitive flexional forms have been more or less completely replaced by analogical new formations. OE. scieppan, scóp, scapen corresponds to OFris. *skeppa, skôp, eskepen (WFris. skeppe, skoep, skepen), OS. *gisceppian, -scôp (scuop), *-scapan, Goth. gaskapjan, -skōp, -skapan: the sense in all these langs. is ‘to create’, occas. ‘to fashion’. In early ME. a new pres.-stem shape was formed on the analogy of the pa. pple., and after the 14th c. completely took the place of the older sheppe, shippe. The strong pa. tense survived into the 14th c. (in Sc. still later), but in ME. two different weak formations are also found: shupte (y) from the original
pres. stem, and
shapide from the altered form
shape. In the
pa. pple. ME. similarly developed two distinct weak forms, of the types
schept and
shaped. From the 16th c. onwards,
shape has been a ‘regular’ weak verb (
pa. tense and
pple. shaped), though the
pa. pple. shapen still survives in archaizing use. The verb has been influenced in sense-development by
shape n.1, of which it is apprehended as a derivative.
In continental
Teut. the changes in conjugation were similar to those that took place in
ME.; in addition, a cognate verb
repr. an
OTeut. type
*skapōjan became in some dialects coincident in form with the verb represented by the
OE. and Gothic forms above. Further, German and
Du. have from their earliest known periods had a verb meaning ‘to draw water’, identical in form (and perhaps in etymology) with the verb meaning ‘to create’; in the older stages of those langs. all the conjugational varieties occur with both meanings, but subsequently the verb meaning ‘to create’ and that meaning ‘to draw water’ came to be distinguished throughout by difference of inflexion. The forms are as follows:—
OFris. *skeppa,
skôp,
eskepen to create,
OS. giscôp,
pa. tense, created,
skeppian wk., to draw water;
Du. scheppen,
schiep,
geschapen to create,
scheppen,
schepte,
geschept to draw water;
OHG. scephen,
scuof,
giscaffan, also
scaffan,
scafta,
gaskeft to create, to draw water, also
scaffôn wk., to form;
MHG. schepfen,
schepfte,
geschepft, also
schaffen,
schuof,
geschaffen, and
occas. schaffen,
schaffte,
geschafft to create, to do, to draw water;
mod.G.
schöpfen,
schöpfte,
geschöpft to draw water, earlier also to create (
cf. schöpfer creator);
schaffen,
schuf,
geschaffen to create;
schaffen,
schaffte,
geschafft to do, procure;
ON. skepja,
skóp and
skapða,
skapt-r, also
skapa,
skapaða,
skapað-r to shape, make, ordain;
Sw. skapa,
Da. skabe to create, make, shape.
The ultimate etymology is obscure. Some scholars have suggested that the original sense is ‘to draw (water) from a source’, and that the senses ‘to create’, ‘to ordain’ are developed from this. Others regard
*skapjan to draw water (which is related to
OTeut. *skapo-,
OS. scap,
OHG. scaf,
mod.G.
schaff, vessel, bucket) as a distinct word from
*skapjan to create, ordain. For other derivatives of the
Teut. root
*skap- see
shaft n.1,
-ship; outside
Teut. no cognates are known, unless the root
*skap- be an altered form of
*skaƀ- (:—pre-Teut.
*skabh-): see
shave v.]
I. To create, fashion, form.
† 1. a. trans. To create; in later use, to form, fashion (said of God or Nature).
From the beginning of the 14th c. there are indications that the verb in this use was sometimes apprehended as meaning ‘to form, fashion, give shape to’, and in the 16th c. the verb, though still used of God, would
prob. have been regarded as corresponding to
formare. In the 17th c. it was felt to be an inappropriate word to apply to God:
cf. ‘God makes, and the Tailor shapes’ (Bulwer
Anthropom. 256).
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 1278 (Gr.) Þa he Adam sceop. c 1200 Ormin 11505, & sawle iss shapenn all off nohht, & hafeþþ þrinne mahhtess. a 1240 Ureisun in O.E. Hom. I. 189 His hwas dohter þu art, his þat wrahte and walt þat ischapen [203 ischeapen] is. c 1300 Harrow. Hell 196 (Harl. MS.) Habraham..þou seidest..þat mi leue moder wes boren & shaped of þi fleyhs. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 847 Hir fader..Curseth the day and tyme that nature Shoop him to been a lyves creature. c 1460 Towneley Myst. ii. 174 God that shope both erth and heuen, I pray to the thou here my steven. 1539 Bible (Great) Ps. li. 5, I was shapen in wickednesse. 1557 Turner Bathes (1562) Pref. A iij b, [These] byrdes..beynge taught of their nature, whiche almighty God grafted in them, when he shope them and made them to do so. |
† b. In
pa. pple.: Naturally fitted or likely (to do something).
Obs.| 1375 Barbour Bruce xx. 206 The douchty lord Dowglass Best schapen for that travell was. c 1500 Melusine 151 That man is able and shappen for to subdue & putte vndre hym all the world. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. ccvi. 264 b, Ladyes..were nat shapen nor made to endure such payne. |
2. a. To make, fashion out of pre-existing materials. In later use, to make by alteration of shape (as by moulding or carving)
out of something else; to make in a definite shape.
| c 1000 ælfric Gram. xxviii. (Z.) 174 Fingo, ic hiwiᵹe oððe scyppe. a 1300 Cursor M. 16573 Þe rode þai scop þan as þai wald,..O cedre, cipres, and o pine. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 357 (Tanner MS.) The temple..That shapyn was as ye shall aftyr here. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 113 He shapis him of shire wax litill schipis many. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xvii. vi. 698 And whan these thre spyndels were shapen, she made hem to be fastned vpon the selar of the bedde. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iv. ii. 240 Come, to the Forge with it, then shape it. 1665 Hooke Microgr. 154 She does begin to Geometrize,..shaping..plane regular figures, as triangles..cubes, &c. 1802 Leyden Lord Soulis lxii, The ropes..Shaped of the sifted sand you see. 1893 D. J. Rankin Zambesi Basin xiv. 240 A large wooden mortar shaped out of a log. |
b. Of the organs of speech: To form, frame, produce (sounds).
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 211 Tunge and teð and lippe word shuppieð muð sent ut þe stefne. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxiii. (Bodl. MS.), To schape þe voice aier is ifonge in þe leues of þe lungen. |
c. To frame, fashion (an immaterial thing); to make conformable
with (a pattern).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 28073 Laud men mai sumquat lere, to scape þair scrift wit þis samplere. c 1400 Destr. Troy 72 Cornelius..translated it into latyn..but he shope it so short þat [etc.]. 1874 Sayce Compar. Philol. viii. 299 The statue does not represent more truly the artistic imagination of its sculptor than does the word the mind that shaped it. |
d. to shape out: to form, produce by giving shape to material.
| 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa Introd. 29 At the very mouth or out-let, dispersing it selfe into two branches, it shapeth out a great island. 1756 C. Smart tr. Horace, Epist. ii. ii. (1826) II. 293 You may shape out any thing with such moist clay. 1830 Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 312 Currents..and tides, cannot..shape out or silt up estuaries..without [etc.]. |
e. to shape over (
U.S.): to refashion.
Cf. make over,
make v. 92 d.
| 1875 Whitney Life Lang. iv. 53 The same influence helped..to shape over certain pronominal elements into the personal endings anti, masi, and ti. |
3. pass. To have a certain shape.
| c 1000 ælfric in Sweet Sel. Hom. iii. 7 Þa wæs þæs teoþan werodes hafes ealdor swiþe fæᵹer and wlitiᵹ ᵹesceapen. 13.. K. Alis. 6465 Folke heo buth ful eovel yschapen. Heore mouth is from that on ere to that othir [etc.]. c 1350 Will. Palerne 126 How faire & how fetis it was & freliche schapen. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. xlviii, Lyke to ane hert schapin verily. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 209 b, The cloth was so shapen, that it covered also the other partes. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. 739 Shaped in forme, as one would say, of an egge. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants I. 215 Receptacle very long, shaped like a style. 1884 L. B. Walford Baby's Grandm. I. 262 The head was well shapen. |
† 4. To cut out or fashion (clothing).
Obs. as specific sense.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 200 Hu se euer hire kurtel beo ischeaped oðer iseouwed, heo [etc.]. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 269 Sche cam into þe bisshop his chambre, oon caas for to schape þe chamberlay his lynnen cloþes. 1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus M ij, It is not hard for the Tayler to shape a fitte garment for a straight bodie. 1654 Bramhall Just Vind. ii. (1661) 24 Therefore it is as hard a task to shape a coat for Schismaticks, as for the Moon, which changeth its shape euery day. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth v, I was thinking of her poor mother when I shaped them [gloves]. |
| absol. c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 473 The taillours, trow I, moot heer-after soone Shape in þe feeld. 1568 Charteris Pref. to Lyndesay's Wks. (1871) 4* The King..sayis to him: ‘Qhairto wald thow be my tailȝeour? thow can nouther schaip nor sew?’ 1728 Ramsay Widow 2 The Widow can shape, and the Widow can shew. 1821 Scott Pirate xiv, Thimblethwaite let no one but himself shape for glorious John, and he had a slashing hand at a sleeve. |
† 5. a. To fashion an image of, portray.
Obs.| c 1350 Will. Palerne 3214 Swete sire, ȝe me saye what signe is þe leuest to have schape in þi scheld. c 1400 Arth. & Merl. (Kölbing) 1587 Apon his tayles ende Þer was schaped a grysly hed. a 1650 Old Robin of Portingale xxxii. in Percy Fol. MS. I. 240 He shope the crosse in his right sholder of the white flesh & the redd. |
† b. To present, set (an example).
Obs.| c 1610 Women Saints 185 You women doe not leaue this example vnimitated, which she hath shaped you. |
† c. to shape out: to depict, describe.
Obs.| 1633 Marmion Fine Comp. iii. v. F 3, I am sure she shapt me out to bee the ridiculousest old asse in Europe. |
d. to shape forth: to picture to view; to give an outline of.
| 1579 W. Wilkinson Confut. Fam. Love 29 b, That course which the sonne of God by his example shaped forth vnto them. 1810 Scott Lady of L. iii. vii, The lone Seer..Shaped forth a disembodied World. 1831 ― Ct. Rob. xiii, ‘My humble understanding,’ said Agelastes, ‘had been infinitely inferior to the management of so..sagacious a scheme, had it not been shaped forth and suggested by the inimitable wisdom of your..Imperial Highness.’ |
† 6. To produce, cause, bring about. Also with clause as
obj. Obs.| c 1315 Shoreham i. 111 And glorie Hit scheppeþ, ȝef man deyþe, And schilt fram purgatorie. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xx. 138 He made lele matrimonye Departen ar deth cam & deuors shupte. ? a 1500 Chester Pl., Temptation (Shaks. Soc.) 204 For I shall shape honour for thee. 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. xxxiii, Nor is there an opportunity of acquiring honour which I can shape for thee, to which, as it occurs, I will not gladly prefer thee. |
† 7. a. To transform or turn
into,
to.
Obs.| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. Prol. 54 Summe schopen hem to hermytes heore ese to haue. 1470–85 Malory Arthur iv. xiv. 138 She shope her self hors and man by enchauntement vnto a grete marbyl stone. 1648 Gage West Ind. 12 Yet from a rich covetous Merchant did it shape him to a Courtier in pleasures. |
† b. To put
into clothing. Also
intr. for
refl.| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. Prol. 2, I schop me in-to a schroud. ? 1370 Robt. Cicyle 165 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 275 In a clothyng ye schalle be schape. a 1400 Pistill of Susan vii. (Ingilby MS.), Þe schene briddes in þe schawe þei schappyn in schrowde. |
† c. To cause to assume an alien shape or appearance.
Obs.| c 1400 Arth. & Merl. (Kölbing) 723 And þey [sc. fiends] han bothe strengthe & myȝt, After man to schapen here body. 1613 Heywood Silver Age ii. i, Enter at one dore..at the other Iupiter shapt like Amphitrio. |
† 8. To prescribe a form to.
Obs.| 1340 Ayenb. 209 Þeruore ous tekþ oure guode mayster Iesu crist uor to asci wysliche and ous ssepþ oure ascinge þo he zede. |
† 9. a. intr. To attain maturity of form and proportions.
b. trans. Of a tree: To bring (its fruit) to maturity.
Obs.| 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. i. v. §4. 24 b, Young men, when they knit and shape perfectly, doe seldome grow to a further stature. 1618 Lawson New Orch. & Garden vii. (1623) 16, I haue knowne a tree..for want of strength could neuer shape his fruit. |
10. To trim, cut, or mould to a particular shape; to adapt in shape
to.
| 1457 Hardyng Chron. in Eng. Hist. Rev. Oct. (1912) 750 The lawe is lyke vnto a Walshmannes hose, To eche mannes legge that shapen is and mete. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to C'tess Mar 1 Apr. (1887) I. 175 They generally shape their eyebrows. 1861 Ladies' Gaz. Fashion Apr. 30/2 Some [sleeves] are shaped to the elbow, and have cuffs. 1891 Kinns Graven in Rock viii. 300 The scarcophagus is slightly shaped to the body. |
11. a. To give definite form to; to put
into a certain form, to embody in words.
† Also with
out.
| 1589 Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 22 That oracles were foretold at the Delphian Caue, but were shapte out and finished in the Counsell house. 1796 W. Taylor in Monthly Rev. XX. 535 We knew into how complete and fascinating a whole the selecting taste of Wieland had shapen the enterprise of Huen of Bourdeaux. 1842 Tennyson Godiva 3 And there I shaped The city's ancient legend into this. 1875 Geo. Eliot in Cross Life (1885) III. 258 The trivial questions I want to put could hardly be shapen in a letter. |
b. refl. To assume a definite form or structure; to develop from vagueness or confusion
into something coherent.
| 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. iv. ii, This multitudinous French People..begins heaping and shaping itself into organic groups. 1869 H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey I. 37 The valleys..shape themselves..into a succession of graceful curves. |
c. intr. To assume a shape or form; to develop or progress. Freq.
const. up.
| 1865 O. W. Norton Army Lett. (1903) 278 As things are shaping I do not much think I shall try till after Congress meets. 1903 N.Y. Times 10 Sept. 6/3 Matters are shaping for an effort on the part of the organized teamsters to reproduce in this city the..conditions which exist in Chicago. 1921 R. D. Paine Comr. Rolling Ocean xvii. 293 Here is how it shapes up to me. 1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? vii. 153 It's shaping up something terrific... It looks like the biggest opening this town ever had. 1951 Sport 27 Apr.–3 May 12/1 How will Yorkshire shape up this summer? 1965 Listener 25 Nov. 871/1 The autumn output has shaped up most satisfactorily, far better than its schedules might suggest. 1980 N. Marsh Photo-Finish vi. 156 He pulled out... He didn't fancy the way things shaped up. |
12. To give a direction and character to (one's life, conduct, etc.).
| 1823 Keble Serm. iv. (1848) 85 Every one shapes his conduct, in regard to his worldly interests, upon the notion that sin and wickedness abound. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola (1880) I. Introd. 2 The great river-courses which have shaped the lives of men have hardly changed. 1886 Athenæum 30 Oct. 562/2 It would be absurd to say that his life was shaped for him by the force of circumstances. |
II. To devise, plan, prepare.
13. To devise (a plan, a remedy.)
| c 1381 Chaucer Parl. Foules 502, I can shappe herof a remedie. 1423 Jas. I. Kingis Q. lxix, Bot venus, of hir grace, Will schape remede. c 1530 Hyckescorner 355 But at the last God shope a remedy. 1584 Lodge Alarum agst. Usurers 10 According as I finde your aunswere, I will shape your deliueraunce. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xxxiv, Can I shape no means for myself when I am deserted by these cravens? |
† 14. a. To take measures for, contrive, endeavour to bring about.
Obs.| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 4565 Þat schopen hym [Caesar] yuel & outrage, þey diden hym fewte & homage. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 3267* And had he shapyn Ay to shalkez shendship & illys. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 257 And soo for he schapput a fowle deth to oþer, hit fell apon hymselfe. |
† b. With inf. or clause as
obj. Obs.| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 762 I schal schape no more þo schalkkez to helpe. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. vi. (Skt.) 148 Thilke governour..shoop to have letted thilke eleccion, and have made a newe. c 1440 York Myst. xvii. 318 Herowde the kyng has malise ment, And shappis with shame yow for to shende. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxxiii. 61 A fedrem on he tuke, And schupe in Turky for to fle. 1567 Gude & Godlie Ball. 142 Send vs support and conforting, Aganis our fais that byssie is, That schapis till stroy, baith auld and zung. a 1585 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 261 Bot ay the mair I schape [? read schupe] to smorit The baulder it brak out. |
† c. absol.| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 201 Þanked God & him so wele for him had schaped. c 1456 Pecock Bk. Faith (1909) 255 Therfore God so schope that the feith schulde bi a notable tyme be preched. |
† 15. refl. To set oneself, prepare. Const.
to with inf., or
for.
Obs. Very common in Chaucer.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. i. pr. iv. (1868) 21 And I se þat euery lorel shapiþ hym to fynde oute newe fraudes. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 429 ‘Certes’, quod he, ‘þat is soth’ and shope hym for to walken. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 774 As ye goon by the weye, Ye shapen yow to talen and to pleye. 1462 in Extracts Burgh Rec. Edin. (1869) I. 20 That no nychbour schaip thame to by ony vittuallis or to bid ony price thairfoir befoir the entrie. a 1568 Bannatyne MS. (Hunter. Club) 78 Schaip the no moir with ws to stryve. 1570 Satir. Poems Reform. xix. 95 Gif ȝour fais tryumphis ouer ȝow to stand, Schaip ȝow for deid. |
† b. Of the sky: To prepare (to rain).
Obs.| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 551 Right sone vpon the chaunging of the mone Whan..that the welken shoop him for to reyne. |
† 16. a. To direct the course of; to equip, send forth. Also, of a motive: To prompt, induce.
Obs.| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 12050 Arthur..schop his host to Southaumptone. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. viii. 69 Bidders and Beggers Beoþ not in þe Bulle, Bote þe suggestion be soþ þat schapeþ hem to Begge. c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's T. 155 Bisshopes ben shapen with hir for to wende. c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 403 Throuch auld malice he wox ner wod for teyn; Apon the Scottis schup thaim all with gret mayn. |
† b. refl. To direct one's course. Also
intr.| c 1400 Destr. Troy 1144 He will..shape hym to our shippes with his shene knightes. c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 408 Feyll Sotheroun than to Wallace fast can schaip. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. xiii. b j b, At the last he [Leir] shope hym to the see and passed ouer in to fraunce. |
† c. to shape (a person's) way: to assist one in a course of action.
Obs.| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 17 We wolen wysen þe kyng and þi wey schapen. 1622 Bacon Hen. VII, 237 Whereas Empson and Dudley..did not giue way onely..but shape him way to those Extremities, for which himselfe was touched with remorse at his Death. |
d. to shape one's course:
Naut., to steer
for,
to a place. Also
transf. and
fig. (
occas. to shape one's passage,
way, etc.). Also
absol. or intr. (
rare).
| 1593 Peele Hon. Garter C 4 b, And Sheffeilde, shape thy course no otherwise, Then loyaltie..Directs. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xii. 56 Shape your course as he doth to meet him at the neerest angle you can. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 16 Sept. 1644, Minding now to shape my course so as I might winter in Italy. c 1750 Shenstone Love & Hon. 325 To the cloister's pensive scene Elvira shap'd her solitary way. 1816 Tuckey Narr. Exped. R. Zaire i. (1818) 9 We now shaped a course for the west end of Madeira. 1848 J. F. Cooper Oak Openings I. iv. 49 Perhaps it would be best for me to shape at once for Ohio. 1877 ‘H. A. Page’ De Quincey I. iv. 80 Two considerations caused him to shape his course differently. |
17. † a. To direct, address (speech); to aim (a blow).
Obs.| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1626 He schewez hem þe scheldez, & schapes hem þe tale. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 270 He wald..prevene the strakis, and geve him the dedely straikis first that he schapis till him. 1596 Spenser F.Q. v. v. 39 Which speaches she applying to the scope Of her intent, this further purpose to him shope. |
b. Phrase,
to shape an answer. In early use
const. to or
dat. (Now with mixture of sense 11.)
| c 1420 ? Lydg. Assembly of Gods 160 Wherefore thow Eolus, without more delay Shape vs an answer to thyne accusement. 1528 More Dyaloge iii. i. (1529) 67 b/2 That shall I gladly here quod I, and shape you such answere as my pore wytte wyll serue me. 1581 A. Hall Iliad ix. 171 Achilles thus an answere shapes. 1625 Bacon Ess., Cunning (Arb.) 441 It is a good Point of Cunning, for a Man, to shape the Answer he would haue, in his owne Words, and Propositions. 1670 Milton Hist. Brit. iv. 151 Well perceaving which way the King enclin'd, every one thereafter shap'd his reply. 1812 Cary Dante, Parad. vi. 28 To thy first question thus I shape mine answer. |
18. intr. † a. To turn out, take a course.
Obs.| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 301 For him & us alle myght it better schape. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 8415 Iff happe so with me schape That thow may no wyse askape Fro me. c 1440 Wars Alex. (prose) 69 (E.E.T.S.), And when Alexander saw it schope thus..he commanded þat all men schulde wende armed. |
† b. To arise, come to
pass. Obs.| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 160, & al to lyȝten þat lome, ȝif leþe wolde schape. c 1420 Hoccleve Min. Poems xxii. 332 And on a nyght vnhappyly shoop it, Left was the Erles Chambre dore vnstoken. c 1430 ― New Cant. Tale 15/29 (E.E.T.S.) It schoop so þat this man had a yong sone. |
† c. To be conducive, tend.
Obs.| 1611 Shakes. Cymb. v. v. 346 Their deere losse, The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shap'd Vnto my end of stealing them. |
† d. Of a coast-line: to trend.
Obs.| 1769 E. Bancroft Guiana 7 The sea-coast..from thence..shapes nearly south by east half east. |
19. a. To appear promising (chiefly
Sc. and
dial.: see
Eng. Dial. Dict.). Often with reference to physical exercises, as drill, rowing, etc.: To show signs of becoming efficient.
| 1865 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xiv. viii. V. 264 How their Grand Army of the Netherlands shaped to prosper. Ibid. xviii. vii. VII. 211 Your Brother does not the least shape towards giving in. 1899 Kipling Stalky 205 They [the cadet company] shape well—extremely well they shape. 1913 Daily Chron. 22 Feb. 7/4 No. 7 rowed light, but the other men in the stern and right down to 4 shaped finely. |
b. Cricket. Of a batsman: To get into the proper attitude and position for dealing with the particular kind of ball delivered by the bowler. Also in
Golf: to get into the proper attitude or stance for a stroke.
| 1884 I. Bligh in Lillywhite's Cricket Ann. 4 Davis and Powell shaping well. 1930 Wodehouse Very Good, Jeeves! vi. 160 It was while I was shaping for a rather tricky shot that the front-door bell went. |
c. Of a horse: To exhibit capabilities; to develop
into.
| 1887 Daily News 16 May 3/4 Mr. C. Clark's son of Outfit, who gives promise of shaping into a grand weight-carrier. 1891 Gould Double Event xvii. 123, I am very anxious to see how my horse shapes. |
d. to shape up: to pull oneself together or meet a required standard; to show one's capabilities. Also, to get oneself into good physical condition.
| 1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart i. v. 98 There seemed no reason why he should not shape up. 1951 Chambers's Jrnl. Nov. 645/1 He shaped up awkwardly against a man who was not only champion but twelve years his junior. 1963 Time 8 Nov. 10/3 You stated that an icosahedron is a two-sided solid figure... Shape up, sir! It's really a 20-sided solid figure. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 10 July 8/2 After that [sc. adolescence] one is expected to shape up, get a job, get married. Ibid. 14 Aug. 11/1, I have gained 5 more pounds, and so once again am embarked on a semiserious effort to shape up. 1977 N. Marsh Last Ditch vi. 154 He taught her to ride and was uncommon proud of the way she shaped up. |
e. Phr.
to shape up or ship out: used as a threat of transference or dismissal if a satisfactory performance is not achieved.
slang (
orig. U.S. Mil.).
| 1956 Amer. Speech XXXI. 108 Shape up or ship out!, start soldiering or be sent to a combat zone. 1968 Review & Herald 19 Sept. 24/2 We ought to tell them to ‘shape up or ship out’. 1977 Guardian Weekly 30 Oct. 15/1 If the International Labor Organization didn't shape up within two years, the U.S. government would ship out. |
20. Pugilism. To ‘square’ for fighting. Also with
out or
up.
| 1855 R. Carboni Eureka Stockade 9 By this time two covies..had stripped to their middle, and were ‘shaping’ for a round or two. 1878 Athletic World 31 May 99/2 Bassano..without the least attempt at shaping, hit him sharply on the nose. 1899 S. MacManus In Chimney Corners 12 ‘I'll fight you,’ says Billy, shaping out and winding the bit of stick three times over his head. 1927 Daily Express 31 May 7 He shaped up to Murphy, when he punched the watchman on the jaw with his fist and knocked him insensible. 1977 N. Marsh Last Ditch ii. 47 If you feel like a fight you've only to say so and we'll shape up and make fools of ourselves. |
III. To appoint, decree, determine.
† 21. trans. a. Of God, fate, fortune, etc.: To destine, decree.
Obs.| Beowulf 2913 Wæs sio wroht scepen heard wið Huᵹas. a 1000 Be manna wyrdum 95 (Gr.) Weoroda god ᵹeond middanᵹeard monnes cræftas sceop & scyrede. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 105 Werpeð þat gilt uppen ure drihten and seið..ne was me no bet shapen. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 4391 Ac euere vouȝte as hom nere deþ issape non. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 247 A wylde walterande whal, as wyrde þen schaped, Þat was beten fro þe abyme. c 1386 Chaucer Monk's Prol. 21 ‘Allas!’ she seith, ‘that ever I was shape To wedde a milksop’. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. xxiv, Fortune It schupe non othir wayis to be. c 1440 J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. 1257 (Rawl. MS.) Ȝet is þer to ȝow schape a hyer chaunce. a 1547 Surrey æneid ii. 153 To whom that fate was shapte, whom Phebus wold. |
† b. gen. To decree, determine.
Obs.| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 4364 When alle were set in ylka bataille, & schept ho scholde formest assaille, Toward þe Romayns faste þey nomen. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 742, & quat if faurty be fre & fauty þyse oþer Schalt þow schortly al schende & schape non oþer. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 419 Siþ no cause is of þis almes, þei seyen þat god shoop þis wiþ-oute cause. |
† 22. To give (a name) to a person or thing.
Obs.| Beowulf 78 Scop him Heort naman. c 1000 ælfric Hom. (Th.) I. 478 Rice menn sceopon heora bearnum naman be him sylfum. c 1205 Lay. 14232 Þa þe burh wel [read wes] al ȝare þa scop he hire nome. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 277 In þe same manere kynges sones of Engelond hadde names i-schape by hir fadir names. 1555 T. Phaer æneid iii. 22 And of my name their name I shoope, and Eneads them call. |
† 23. To deliver (a judgement), appoint (a penalty); condemn (a person) to punishment.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9714 Til an behoues al assent And siþen schap þe iugement. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 809 To bale were ȝe þanne bore for bannede werkus, Þat schullen schamly be schent & schapen to paine. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. i. 159 Riȝt so is loue a ledere and þe lawe shapeth. c 1425 Cast. Persev. 1828 in Macro Plays 131, I schape þese schrewys to mekyl schame. |
▪ III. shape obs. form of
chape n.| 1540 in Gage Hengrave (1822) 114 Paid for gylting of the handle of the swarde and for the shape ijs. |
▪ IV. shape obs. form of
scape v.
1