Skeuomorph

//ˈskjuːəmɔɹf// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A design feature copied from a similar feature in another object, even when not functionally necessary.

    "As soon as man began to make things, to fasten a handle to a stone implement, to construct a wattled roof, to weave a mat, skeuomorphs became an inseparable part of his brain, and ultimately occasioned a mental craving or expectancy."

Example

More examples

"As soon as man began to make things, to fasten a handle to a stone implement, to construct a wattled roof, to weave a mat, skeuomorphs became an inseparable part of his brain, and ultimately occasioned a mental craving or expectancy."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σκεῦος (skeûos, “implement, tool, vessel”) + μορφή (morphḗ, “form”), modeled after zoomorph (“resembling an animal”) and phyllomorph (“resembling a plant”).

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