'heart-shaped' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the noun 'heart' and the adjective-forming past participle 'shaped' (from the verb 'shape'), where 'heart' referred to the organ or the conventional symbol of love and 'shape' meant 'form'.

'heart' comes from Old English 'heorte' (from Proto-Germanic *hertô and Proto-Indo-European *kerd-); 'shape' comes from Old English 'sceapan'/'scēapian' (to create, form) from Proto-Germanic *skapjaną. The compound adjective 'heart-shaped' developed in Modern English by joining these elements to describe form.

Initially the components referred to the physical organ ('heart') and to form or make ('shape'); when combined as 'heart-shaped' it has meant 'having the form of a heart' since its formation and has retained that basic meaning.