flexure

Etymology

From Latin flexura.

noun

1. The act of bending or flexing; flexion.
2. A turn; a bend; a fold; a curve.
   varying with the flexures of the valley through which it meandered 1860, “Glaciers”, in British Quarterly Review
3. (anatomy) A curve or bend in a tubular organ.
4. (zoology) The last joint, or bend, of the wing of a bird.
5. (astronomy) The small distortion of an astronomical instrument caused by the weight of its parts; the amount to be added or subtracted from the observed readings of the instrument to correct them for this distortion.

verb

1. To introduce a flexure into; to bend or flex.