Meanings
-
1
noun
a person, force, or thing that gives form or character to something
Education was a powerful shaper of her political outlook.
-
2
noun
a machine tool that cuts a flat or contoured surface by moving a cutting tool back and forth
The machinist used a shaper to cut a precise groove in the metal block.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English shapere, formed from shape + the agent suffix -er. The word can name any person or influence that forms something, while engineering uses it for a machine whose reciprocating cutter shapes a workpiece.