What does cuplike mean?
"Cuplike" is an adjective describing something shaped like a cup: rounded, hollow, and open at the top. The word combines "cup," one of the oldest and most universal of human vessels, with the suffix "-like," which signals resemblance rather than identity. Because it describes a form rather than an object, it appears most often in descriptive and scientific writing. Botanists call certain flowers cuplike; zoologists describe the suckers on an octopus's arms or the sockets of the hip joint in similar terms; geologists use it for bowl-shaped depressions in rock or terrain. Its meaning is straightforward but its range is wide — anything from a folded pair of hands to a volcanic crater can be called cuplike if it holds that familiar concave curve. The word carries no particular emotional weight; it is valued simply for conveying shape quickly and vividly, letting readers picture a hollow, receptive form without further explanation.
adjectiveResembling a cup in shape; having the rounded, hollow form of a cup.
- Having the rounded, hollow shape of a cup; concave and open like a drinking vessel.
"The cuplike flowers of the hellebore collected rainwater after the storm."
"The pitcher plant's cuplike leaves hold pools of digestive fluid."
"She pressed her palms together into a cuplike shape to catch the falling water."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cuplike
The word "cup" entered English from Old English "cuppe," itself borrowed from Late Latin "cuppa," a drinking vessel — a root it shares with words such as "cupful," "cupboard," and "teacup." The suffix "-like," from Old English "gelīc," converts nouns into adjectives of resemblance, so "cuplike" literally means "resembling a cup." Compound forms of this kind became common in English scientific description from roughly the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries onward, as naturalists needed compact terms for shapes encountered in plants, animals, and landscapes.
How cuplike is actually used
"Cuplike" is a descriptive compound adjective used mainly in scientific and nature writing — botany, zoology, geology, and anatomy — where precision about shape matters. It is neutral in connotation and rarely appears in casual conversation.
Easily confused with cuplike
A cupola is a small dome-shaped structure on a roof, while cuplike describes any hollow, concave form resembling an ordinary drinking cup.