What does "fusiform" mean?

Shaped like a spindle with yarn spun on it; having round or roundish cross-section and tapering at each end.

What is a synonym for "fusiform"?

Common synonyms include: cigar-shaped, fusoid, spindle shaped, spindle-shaped, spindle-shaped.

adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Adjective

1
Shaped like a spindle with yarn spun on it; having round or roundish cross-section and tapering at each end.
"Fusobacteria are fusiform bacilli (spindled rods)."

Adjective

"Fusobacteria are fusiform bacilli (spindled rods)."

From Latin fusus (“spindle”) + -iform.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.