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.
Nature is full of needle-shaped things—from cactus spines to sea urchin spikes—and scientists needed a word to describe them all. This term shows how Latin's ancient word for needles is still working hard in modern biology to help us classify the sharp things we find in nature.
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