'belt-shaped' originates from English, specifically the compound of 'belt' and the past-participle-derived adjective 'shaped', where 'belt' meant 'a strip for fastening or holding' and 'shape' meant 'form' or 'figure'.

'belt' comes from Old English 'belt' (also written 'bælt'), from Proto-Germanic roots meaning a band or strip; 'shape' comes from Old English 'sceap'/'scieppan' (related to forming or shaping) which developed into Modern English 'shape'. The compound 'belt-shaped' is a straightforward modern English formation combining these elements.

Initially the components referred separately to 'a fastening strip' and to 'form'; over time the compound came to mean 'having a form like a belt'—i.e., 'long and narrow, like a band'.