Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having the form or outline of a stirrup: Resembling the shape of a stirrup, which is the loop, ring, or flat plate attached to a saddle to support a rider's foot.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The bone has a distinctive, stirrup-shaped structure.
  • The artist created a stirrup-shaped ornament from silver wire.

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Anatomical Context: Often used in medical or biological descriptions, particularly for bones or cartilage.
  • The stapes in the middle ear is a stirrup-shaped bone.

Variants and Related Words

• Stapes (n): The small stirrup-shaped bone in the middle ear.
• Stirrup (n): The foot support on a saddle, from which the adjective is derived.

Synonyms

• Arched: Having a curved shape.
• U-shaped: Having the form of the letter U, which is similar but not identical to a stirrup's more specific form.

Related Phrases

• Stirrup cup: A farewell drink offered to a rider, named from the practice of serving it when the rider's foot was in the stirrup. (Note: This is a compound noun, not a direct use of the adjective 'stirrup-shaped').
• Stirrup leather: The strap that attaches a stirrup to a saddle. (Note: This is a compound noun).

Adjective

1. shaped in the form of a stirrup