to disfigure / distort
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to disfigure
To change the outward appearance of a person or thing so negatively and severely that it becomes ugly, unsightly, or unrecognizable.
Der Unfall hat sein Gesicht mit einer tiefen Narbe entstellt.
The accident disfigured his face with a deep scar.
to distort
To falsify the original meaning or truth of something (e.g., a statement or text) through misrepresentation, omission, or addition.
Das Zitat wurde aus dem Kontext gerissen und dadurch in seiner Bedeutung völlig entstellt.
The quote was taken out of context and thereby completely distorted in its meaning.
The verb consists of the prefix 'ent-' and the verb 'stellen' (to place/put). Here, 'ent-' has the effect of a negative change: something is brought out of its correct form or 'Stellung' (position) and thereby becomes ugly or false.
Graffiti entstellt die historische Fassade des Gebäudes.
Graffiti disfigures the historic facade of the building.
You can recognize the two meanings by the object. If the object is physical (e.g., a face, a landscape), it is about appearance. If the object is abstract (e.g., the truth, a quote), it is about the distortion of content.
Ein riesiges Hotel entstellt die Küste. (Aussehen)
A huge hotel disfigures the coast. (appearance)
In this meaning, the verb is often used in the passive to describe the negative change. The subject is then the person or thing whose appearance was changed.
Sein Gesicht wurde durch die Krankheit entstellt.
His face was disfigured by the illness.
When it is about falsifying content, typical objects are: 'die Wahrheit entstellen' (to distort the truth), 'Tatsachen entstellen' (to distort facts), 'eine Aussage entstellen' (to distort a statement), or 'den Sinn entstellen' (to distort the meaning).
Er behauptete, die Presse habe seine Aussagen absichtlich entstellt.
He claimed that the press had deliberately distorted his statements.
to rape / violate
Both words can indicate that a language or idea loses its original meaning. „Entstellen“ mainly describes the distorted result and is usually matter-of-fact, while „vergewaltigen“ refers to crude abuse in a drastic and potentially offensive way. In neutral texts, „entstellen“ is therefore usually the better choice.
Mit seinen Kürzungen entstellt der Autor die ursprüngliche Idee.
With his cuts, the author distorted the original idea.
Mit seinen willkürlichen Änderungen vergewaltigt der Autor die ursprüngliche Idee.
With his arbitrary changes, the author grossly violated the original idea.
