'U.S.-shaped' originates from Modern English, specifically a compound of 'U.S.' (an abbreviation of 'United States') and the suffix '-shaped', where 'U.S.' referred to the United States and '-shaped' meant 'having the shape of'.

'-shaped' developed in English by compounding the noun 'shape' (from Old English roots for form) with the past-participial-like element '-ed' to form adjectives such as 'heart-shaped' and later productive compounds like 'map-shaped' or 'U.S.-shaped'. 'U.S.' is a 20th-century abbreviation of 'United States', which itself comes from 'united' + 'states'.

Initially, the element '-shaped' simply indicated 'having the form of' and this basic meaning has remained consistent; when combined with 'U.S.' it came to mean 'having the form of the United States'.