the word 'spheroidal' is a modern english formation built upon the noun 'spheroid', which itself entered english from late latin 'sphaeroides', tracing back to the greek 'sphairoeidēs'. this greek term is a compound of 'sphaira', meaning 'ball' or 'globe', and the suffix '-eidēs', denoting 'form' or 'resemblance'. the english adjectival suffix '-al' was then appended, a common practice in scientific and geometric terminology to create descriptive terms. thus, the literal meaning 'having the form of a sphere-like shape' directly informs its modern geometric definition, describing an object that is nearly, but not perfectly, spherical.

Structure: spheroid + al spheroid (from latin 'sphaeroides', from greek 'sphairoeidēs', meaning sphere-like, from 'sphaira' (ball, sphere) + '-eidēs' (form, shape)); al (english adjectival suffix, from latin '-alis', forming adjectives meaning 'of, relating to, or characterized by').