A teardrop is the small drop of salty liquid that forms in your eye when you cry. Teardrops roll down your cheeks when you're sad, hurt, or sometimes even when you're laughing so hard you can't control yourself. Scientists have discovered that emotional tears actually contain different chemicals than the tears your eyes make to stay moist or wash out dust.

The word also describes anything shaped like a falling tear: wide and rounded at the top, narrowing to a point at the bottom. A teardrop trailer is a small camping trailer with this distinctive shape. Jewelers create teardrop earrings and teardrop pendants that mimic this graceful form. Race car designers use teardrop shapes because they slice through the air efficiently, and you'll notice this aerodynamic form in everything from bicycle helmets to airplane fuselages.

Interestingly, artists often draw teardrops incorrectly. Real teardrops are actually round while hanging from your eye, only taking on that classic tapered shape as they fall and stretch in the air. But the stylized teardrop shape has become so recognizable that everyone understands what it represents, whether it's painted on a sad clown's face or used as a symbol in art and design.