bladelike

Bladelike is an adjective describing a form that resembles a blade: elongated, flat, and narrow with a sharp or tapered edge. It conveys a sense of slenderness and a planar surface, usually with length greatly exceeding width. The root is blade, with the suffix -like.

In botany, bladelike describes leaves or leaflets whose lamina (blade) is elongated and narrow. This term is common in descriptions of grasses and sedges, where the leaf blade is the dominant, flat part of the leaf. Shapes can be described as linear, linear-lanceolate, or lanceolate, with emphasis on the blade’s elongated form rather than a broad or rounded outline.

In mineralogy and crystallography, bladelike crystals are slender and flattened, forming blade-shaped habits with a relatively large length compared to width. Such forms arise from specific growth conditions and are used descriptively to distinguish crystal shapes.

In anatomy, paleontology, and related fields, bladelike may refer to thin, knife- or sword-shaped projections or plates that are narrow and pointed, rather than broad or curved. The term is a qualitative descriptor used to convey a characteristic silhouette when more exact measurements are not required.

Overall, bladelike serves as a descriptive, non-technical term that helps convey the visual impression of long, flat, tapering forms across different disciplines.