Having the shape or form of a needle or small prickle; shaped like a needle point.
From Latin 'aculeus' (needle-like sting) + '-form' (shape). The root 'aculeus' comes from 'acus' (needle), which may derive from Proto-Indo-European '*ak-' meaning sharp. The '-form' suffix comes from Latin 'forma' meaning shape. Over time, this specialized botanical/zoological term was created to describe needle-shaped structures.
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