'needle-shaped' originates from the combination of 'needle' and 'shaped', where 'needle' refers to a slender, pointed object and 'shaped' indicates the form or outline of something.

'needle' comes from Old English 'nædl', and 'shaped' comes from Old English 'sceapian', meaning to form or create.

Initially, 'needle-shaped' referred to objects resembling a needle in form, and this meaning has remained consistent.