v.
Pronunciation: di- ' fo ̇ rm, d ē -
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 verb
1 : to spoil the form of
2 a : to spoil the looks of : DISFIGURE <a face deform ed by bitterness> b : to mar the character of <a marriage deform ed by jealousy>
3 : to alter the shape of by stress
intransitive verb : to become misshapen or changed in shape
– de · form · able \ -m ə -b ə l \ 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>.