Other forms: deformed, deforming, deforms
To deform is to spoil the natural shape of something. Deform the metal, deformed by heat, deform under load.
In engineering it is neutral and precise: elastic deformation springs back and plastic deformation does not, and knowing where one becomes the other is most of materials science. Applied to people the word is offensive and out of use. Note form beneath it.
1verbdeformTo spoil the natural shape of something.
“The heat from the fire deformed the plastic chairs into strange shapes.”
deform is a spoiling of shape.
Latin deformare means to put out of shape, from de-, away, plus forma, a shape.
Proto-Indo-European
*dé
Latin
dēfōrmis — departing physically from the correct shape, deformed, malformed, misshapen, ugly; (figuratively) departing morally from the correct quality, base, disgraceful, shameful, unbecoming
Middle French
deforme
Middle English
deforme — out of shape, deformed
English, today
deform
Built from
From Middle English deforme (“out of shape, deformed”)defourme, difform, disformie, from Middle French deforme (modern French difforme (“misshapen, deformed”)), or directly from its etymon Latin dēfōrmis (“departing physically from the correct shape, deformed, malformed, misshapen, ugly; (figuratively) departing morally from the correct quality, base, disgraceful, shameful, unbecoming”), from dē- + fōrma (“form, appearance, figure, shape; fine form, beauty; design, outline, plan; model, pattern; mould, stamp; (figuratively) kind, manner, sort”) (further etymology unknown; perhaps related to Ancient Greek μορφή (“form, shape; appearance; outline; kind, type”), probably from Pre-Greek, but there is no consensus) + -is.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA