taper, tapir

Taper or taper means to become smaller or narrower at one end--
When you're finished making the awl, it should taper to a point at one end.
He wants the monument to taper to a point at the top.

Taper is also an old-fashioned word for a thin kind of candle, often used for lighting candles or fires--
Take a taper to light your way up the stairs.

Tapir or tapir ( rhymes with taper ) means the animal from South America that looks something like a pig--
We saw a tapir and an anteater at the zoo.
Class, who can tell me where the tapir comes from?

Now that you know that, you can sayy--
"Make it taper to a round blunt end, like the snout of a tapir."

Note--"taper off" means to gradually diminsh in strength or force, to lessen by degrees--
It started with a lot of excitement, which quickly began to taper off.