bowlshaped

Bowlshaped describes objects or forms that resemble a bowl: a hollow, concave interior bounded by a rim. The defining feature is a rounded interior that deepens toward a bottom, often with approximate symmetry around a vertical axis. In three dimensions, bowl-shaped forms are commonly modeled as surfaces of revolution generated by rotating a circular arc, yielding shapes such as spherical caps, hemispheres, or paraboloids. The curvature can range from shallow to deep, allowing a spectrum from simple dishes to nearly hemispherical vessels.

Common examples include everyday kitchen bowls, plant saucers, and containers designed to hold liquids or other materials. In geology and planetary science, the term is used for circular depressions with raised rims, such as bowl-shaped craters and sinkholes, where the rim defines the boundary of the concave interior. In biology, certain flowers, seed pods, or other botanical structures are described as bowl-shaped when their walls form a cuplike interior that collects or contains.

In engineering and physics, “bowl-shaped” is used metaphorically to describe concave potential wells or surfaces that guide or confine motion or energy toward a central minimum. Measurement of a bowl-shaped object typically includes diameter, depth, and volume or capacity, depending on the intended use.

See also: bowl, concave, spherical cap, paraboloid, cup-shaped.