/ dɪˈstend; NAmE / verb
( formal or medical ) to swell or make sth swell because of pressure from inside :
[ vn ]
starving children with huge distended bellies
[also v ]
► dis·ten·sion / dɪˈstenʃn; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
distension of the stomach
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Latin distendere , from dis- apart + tendere to stretch.