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malfeasance

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mal⋅fea⋅sance

  [mal-fee-zuhns]
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–noun Law.
the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law; wrongdoing (used esp. of an act in violation of a public trust). Compare misfeasance (def. 2), nonfeasance.
Origin:
1690–1700; earlier malefeasance. See male-, feasance

Related forms:
mal⋅fea⋅sant, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mal·fea·sance   (māl-fē'zəns)   
n.  Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official.

[Anglo-Norman malfaisance, from Old French malfaisant, malfeasant, present participle of malfaire, to do evil, from Latin malefacere; see malefactor.]
mal·fea'sant adj. & n.
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

malfeasance 
1696, from Fr. malfaisance "wrongdoing," from mal- "badly" (see mal-) + faisant, prp. of faire "to do," from L. facere "to do" (see factitious). Malfeasor "wrong-doer" is attested from c.1330.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: mal·fea·sance
Pronunciation: "mal-'fEz-&ns
Function: noun
Etymology: mal- bad + obsolete English feasance doing, execution, from Old French faisance, from fais-, stem of faire to make, do, from Latin facere
: the commission (as by a public official) of a wrongful or unlawful act involving or affecting the performance of one's duties —compare MISFEASANCE, NONFEASANCE
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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