Oval
/ˈoʊ.vəl/noun
A rounded shape or outline like an egg.
Did you know?“Oval” comes from Latin ovum, “egg,” so the shape’s name is literally tied to fertility and beginnings rather than geometry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂éwis
“egg”
Latin
Latin
ovum
“egg”
Late Latin
Latin
ovalis
“egg-shaped”
16th Century
French
oval
“egg-shaped, elliptical”
Modern English
English
oval
“having the shape of an egg; an ellipse”