'urn-shaped' originates from English, specifically the combination of the noun 'urn' and the adjectival combining form '-shaped', where 'urn' meant 'a vessel (originally for ashes)' and '-shaped' indicates 'having the shape of'.

'urn' came into English via Old French 'urne' from Latin 'urna'; the modern English 'urn' evolved from Middle English 'urne'. The element '-shaped' is formed from 'shape' (from Old English roots meaning 'form' or 'creation') combined with the productive suffix '-ed/ -shaped' to mean 'having the form of'.

Initially, 'urn' referred specifically to a vessel (often for ashes); over time the word has been used in compounds to describe objects having the same general vase-like form, yielding the adjective 'urn-shaped' meaning 'having the form of an urn'.