the.com/deformation

how a thing bends before it breaks, and sometimes instead of breaking.

means a change in shape or size of an object caused by an applied force, which may vanish when the force does or stick around forever.

from from latin deformare, to disfigure or mar the shape of, from de- (away from) plus forma (form) — engineers stole it centuries later to mean something less insulting.

for instance

tacoma narrows bridge1940 collapse, catastrophic plastic deformation in real time

himalayasindia still rams into asia, folding rock upward yearly

crumple zonescars engineered to deform so passengers do not

glacial reboundland in scandinavia still rising after ice-age weight lifted

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