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mal-

 - 4 dictionary results

mal-

 
Use mal- in a Sentence
a combining form meaning “bad,” “wrongful,” “ill,” occurring originally in loanwords from French (malapert); on this model, used in the formation of other words (malfunction; malcontent).
Compare male-.

Origin:
ME < OF, repr. mal adv. (< L male badly, ill) and adj. (< L malus bad)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mal-  
pref.  

  1. Bad; badly: maladminister.

  2. Abnormal; abnormally: malformation.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, from male, badly, and malus, bad; see mel-3 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

mal- 
prefix meaning "bad, badly, ill," from Fr., from O.Fr. mal "evil, ill, wrong, wrongly," from L. male (adv.) "badly," or malus (adj.) "bad, evil" (fem. mala, neut. malum), of unknown origin, perhaps related to Avestan mairiia "treacherous." Most Mod.Eng. words with this prefix are 19c. coinages (malnutrition, malodorous, etc.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

mal- pref.

  1. Bad; badly: malpractice.

  2. Abnormal; abnormally: malformation.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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