Vocabulary: Infundibuliform

Today’s A.Word.A.Day from wordsmith is infundibuliform, a neat word for funnel-shaped.  The word has been used in at least two dozen patents and in the claims of five: 6,276,549, 4,747,343, 4,416,404, 4,288,982,  4,054,970.  In U.S. Patent No. 4,747,343, claim 6 is directed to the  infundibuliform shape of the end of an auger, which is described in the specification:

One can imagine circumstances where a fancy word like infundibuliform might enhance the prestige of an invention, but for most applications good old “funnel-shaped” is probably the best choice