swordshaped

Swordshaped is an adjective used to describe objects that have the form or silhouette of a sword: long and slender with a pointed tip. The term combines “sword” and “shaped” and is usually hyphenated as sword-shaped in contemporary writing, though some sources render it as a closed compound or as a synonym of swordlike in older texts.

In botany, sword-shaped describes leaves or leaf-like structures that are narrow and taper to a sharp apex, often with a linear or lanceolate cross-section. It is a common descriptive term in floras and plant descriptions, and is frequently applied to monocot leaves. Examples include the leaves of iris, gladiolus, and yucca, which are commonly described as sword-shaped.

In anatomy and paleontology, the descriptor is used less formally to denote blade-like, elongated projections or spines. It appears in older or less specialized descriptions and has largely been superseded by more precise terms (for instance, lanceolate or acicular for forms; or by anatomical names for specific processes).

See also: lanceolate, leaf morphology, blade shapes.