'shape-distorting' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'shape' and 'distorting', where 'shape' came from Old English 'sceap'/'scieppan' meaning 'form' and 'distort' ultimately comes from Latin 'distorquere' (dis- 'apart' + torquere 'to twist').

'shape' changed from Old English word 'sceap' (meaning 'form') and developed into the Modern English 'shape'; 'distort' changed from Latin 'distorquere' into forms in Old French and Middle English (e.g. Middle English 'distorten') and eventually became modern English 'distort', after which the participial form produced adjectival uses such as 'shape-distorting'.

Initially, the Latin root 'distorquere' meant 'to twist apart' or 'to wrench'; over time this developed into the modern sense of 'to change a thing's shape or appearance', which is reflected in compounds like 'shape-distorting'.