skeuomorph
/ˈskjuːəmɔɹf/
skeuomorph noun: a design feature copied from a similar feature in another object, even when not functionally necessary.
Noun
skeuomorph (plural skeuomorphs)
- 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.1889, Henry Colley March, “The Meaning of Ornament; or its Archæology and its Psychology”, in Transactions of the Lancashire and Chesire Antiquarian Society, volume 7, page 166
- One of the most striking examples of a skeuomorph is the aforementioned impaled bird motif which has the stem of a pipe thrust through the body of a duck or other bird, so that the mouthpiece protrudes from the bill.1987, Alexander von Gernet, Peter Timmins, Pipes and Parakeets: Constructing Meaning in an Early Iroquoian Context, Ian Hodder, Archaeology As Long-Term History, page 37
- Synonyms:
- skiamorph
skeuomorph meaning in Tamil
skeuomorph in Tamil
- புதிது பழமையாக்கல் தொழில்நுட்பம்
Examples of skeuomorph in a sentence
- Such skeuomorphs can be used to reconstruct ephemeral artifacts that cannot be recovered archaeologically.2005, Alice A. Donohue, Greek Sculpture and the Problem of Description, page 81:
- The match is so close that experts believe the black artifact is a skeuomorph, or a copy in a different material.2007 April 6, Jennifer Viegas, “Stonehenge Amulets Worn by Elite”, in Discovery News:
Synonyms of skeuomorph
Forms of skeuomorph
| plural | skeuomorphs |
|---|
Origin of skeuomorph
From Ancient Greek σκεῦος (skeûos, “implement, tool, vessel”) + μορφή (morphḗ, “form”), modeled after zoomorph (“resembling an animal”) and phyllomorph (“resembling a plant”).
Words formed from skeuomorph
Questions about skeuomorph
- What does skeuomorph mean?
- Skeuomorph means a design feature copied from a similar feature in another object, even when not functionally necessary.
- What is skeuomorph in Tamil?
- Skeuomorph in Tamil is புதிது பழமையாக்கல் தொழில்நுட்பம். See Skeuomorph meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use skeuomorph in a sentence?
- Such skeuomorphs can be used to reconstruct ephemeral artifacts that cannot be recovered archaeologically.
- What part of speech is skeuomorph?
- Skeuomorph is a noun.
- How do you pronounce skeuomorph?
- Skeuomorph is pronounced /ˈskjuːəmɔɹf/.
- What is the plural of skeuomorph?
- The plural of skeuomorph is skeuomorphs.
Words near skeuomorph in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: skeuomorph (page history and authors); skeuomorph (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-skeuomorph.wav.
Cite this entry: “skeuomorph.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/skeuomorph. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.