malformation

[ mal-fawr-mey-shuhn, -fer- ]

noun

1. faulty or anomalous formation or structure, especially in a living body:

   malformation of the teeth.

malformation

/ ˌmælfɔːˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the condition of being faulty or abnormal in form or shape
2. pathol a deformity in the shape or structure of a part, esp when congenital

Derived Forms

• malˈformed, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of malformation¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; mal- + formation

Example Sentences

Roughly 4% of the population is affected by a congenital brain malformation that has eluded researchers' efforts to find causes and treatments.

From Science Daily

One study of children born in Denmark between 2008 and 2017, for example, showed that, after adjusting for confounding factors, antipsychotics during the first trimester did not increase the risk of congenital malformations.

From Salon

The health service and government of the time "defended itself, rather than trying to find the absolute truth for people" about whether a hormone pregnancy test caused malformations, stillbirths and abortions, she said.

From BBC

Anencephaly is a fatal congenital malformation where major parts of the brain and skull fail to form.

From Seattle Times

The four additional episodes of high Hg concentrations and high fern spore malformations were unlikely connected to later phases of Central Atlantic Magmatic Province volcanism.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• abnormality
• defect
• disfigurement
• impairment
• mutation