'vase-shaped' originates from the English noun 'vase' and the adjective-forming element '-shaped'. 'vase' ultimately comes from Latin 'vas' meaning 'vessel, container', and the element '-shaped' derives from Old English roots of 'shape' meaning 'form'.

'vase' entered English via Old French from Latin 'vas', and 'shape' developed from Old English (related to 'sceap'/'scapan') through Middle English to modern 'shape'; the compound 'vase-shaped' was formed in Modern English to describe objects having the form of a vase.

Initially, 'vase' denoted a type of container; over time the compound 'vase-shaped' came to be used descriptively to mean 'having the shape of a vase'.