Fusiform (from Latin fusus ‘spindle’) means having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a structure that continues from one or both ends, such as an aneurysm on a blood vessel.

Spindle with yarn
A lemon in geometry

Examples

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  • Fusiform, a body shape common to many aquatic animals, characterized by being tapered at both the head and the tail[1]
  • Fusiform, a classification of aneurysm
  • Fusiform bacteria (spindled rods, that is, fusiform bacilli), such as the Fusobacteriota
  • Fusiform cell (biology)
  • Fusiform face area, a part of the human visual system which seems to specialize in facial recognition
  • Fusiform gyrus, part of the temporal lobe of the brain
  • Fusiform muscle, where the fibres run parallel along the length of the muscle
  • Fusiform neuron, a spindle-shaped neuron

References

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  1. ^ Ulanski, S.L. (2003). The Science of Fly-fishing. University of Virginia Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-8139-2210-2. Retrieved 13 July 2021.

See also

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  • Streamliner, a fusiform hydro-/aero-dynamic vehicle. Historically, the adjective "streamlined" was more commonly used among designers for the word "fusiform".