Dictionary:

deformity

(dĭ-fôr'mĭ-tē) pronunciation

n., pl. -ties.

The state of being deformed.
A bodily malformation, distortion, or disfigurement.
A deformed person or thing.
Gross ugliness or distortion.

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Thesaurus: deformity

noun

disfigurement

malformation

See

beautiful/ugly

Antonyms: deformity

Definition: disfigurement, distortion
Antonyms: beauty, grace, shapeliness

Dental Dictionary: deformity

A distortion or disfigurement of a portion of the body; may be congenital, familial, hereditary, acquired, pathologic, or surgical.

Veterinary Dictionary: deformity

Distortion of any part or general disfigurement of the body; malformation.

Wikipedia: deformity

A deformity, dysmorphism, or dysmorphic feature is a major difference in the shape of the body a body part, or a body organ (internal or external) compared to the average shape for the part in question.

Deformity may arise from numerous causes:

A genetic mutation
Damage to the fetus or uterus
Complications at birth
A growth or hormone disorder
Reconstructive surgery following a severe injury e.g. burn injury.
Arthritis and other Rheumatoid disorders

Irish Mythology includes the Fomorians, who are almost without exception described as being deformed, possessing only one of what most have two of (eyes, arms, legs, etc.) or having larger than normal limbs. Other mythological creatures may have been created due to a deformative syndrome also, for instance, descriptions of mermaids may be related to the symptoms of sirenomelia.

Deformity can occur in non-humans, as well. Frogs can be mutated due to Ribeiroia (Trematoda) infection.

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Birth defects

It is important to note that in many cases, deformed individuals do not survive. For example, in many cases in which a major deformity is present at birth, it is the result of an underlying condition severe enough that the baby does not survive very long. Or, in cases in which an individual becomes deformed due to an event, the event may kill the individual. In some societies, defective babies are abandoned at birth: some are saved by the "kindness of strangers."(See John Boswell (historian).)

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Antonyms. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more
		Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Deformity". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

deformity

deformity

See also