distortion: Meaning and Definition of

dis•tor•tion

1. an act or instance of distorting.
2. the state of being distorted or the relative degree or amount by which something is distorted or distorts.
3. anything that is distorted, as a sound, image, fact, etc.
4. an aberration of a lens or system of lenses in which the magnification of the object varies with the lateral distance from the axis of the lens. Cf. barrel distortion, pincushion distortion.