malform

transitive verb

mal·​form

: to cause to be badly or imperfectly formed : cause to be formed in such a way as to deviate from the normal or usual : give an abnormal, anomalous, or otherwise irregular and defective formation or structure to

a virus that malforms tobacco leaves

in his chair sat a personality malformed beyond decency by greed and pride

—Clemence Dane

Word History

Etymology

mal- entry 1 + form, verb

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!