Main Entry:

de·form

Pronunciation:

\di-ˈfȯrm, dē-\

Function:

verb

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French desfurmer, from Latin deformare, from de- + formare to form, from forma form

Date:

15th century

transitive verb1: to spoil the form of2 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 stressintransitive verb: to become misshapen or changed in shape

— de·form·able \-mə-bəl\ adjective

synonyms 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>.