deform
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de·form

verb \di-ˈfrm, dē-\

Definition of DEFORM

transitive verb
1
: to spoil the form of
2
a : to spoil the looks of : disfigure <a face deformed by bitterness>
b : to mar the character of <a marriage deformed by jealousy>
3
: to alter the shape of by stress
intransitive verb
: to become misshapen or changed in shape
de·form·able \-mə-bəl\ adjective

Examples of DEFORM

  1. The disease eventually deforms the bones.
  2. The disease eventually causes the bones to deform.

Origin of DEFORM

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French desfurmer, from Latin deformare, from de- + formare to form, from forma form
First Known Use: 15th century

Synonym Discussion of DEFORM

deform, distort, contort, warp means to mar or spoil by or as if by twisting. deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or some accident of growth <his face was deformed by hatred>. distort and contort both imply a wrenching from the natural, normal, or justly proportioned, but contort suggests a more involved twisting and a more grotesque and painful result <the odd camera angle distorts the figure in the photograph> <disease had painfully contorted her body>. warp indicates physically an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane <warped floorboards>.

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