deformation

A deformation is a change in shape or form that happens when something gets affected by some kind of force.

Deformation often refers to changes that occur in objects under physical stress, like when metal stretches out after being pulled too thin or a rock breaks into fragments after an earthquake. It can also be used more broadly to talk about how social norms and behaviors change over time due to external pressures – think of it as the "bending" of societal rules and customs.

In some fields, like mathematics and physics, deformation might have slightly different meanings depending on the context. For instance, in geometry, a deformation could refer to a transformation that changes an object's shape without altering its overall structure or proportions.