ma·lin·ger

[muh-ling-ger]
verb (used without object)
to pretend illness, especially in order to shirk one's duty, avoid work, etc.

Origin:
1810–20; < French malingre sickly, ailing, equivalent to mal- mal- + Old French heingre haggard (perhaps < Gmc)

ma·lin·ger·er, noun
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World English Dictionary
malinger (məˈlɪŋɡə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
(intr) to pretend or exaggerate illness, esp to avoid work
 
[C19: from French malingre sickly, perhaps from mal badly + Old French haingre feeble]
 
ma'lingerer
 
n

00:10
Malingerer is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
malinger (məˈlɪŋɡə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
(intr) to pretend or exaggerate illness, esp to avoid work
 
[C19: from French malingre sickly, perhaps from mal badly + Old French haingre feeble]
 
ma'lingerer
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

malinger
1785 (implied in malingerer), from Fr. malingrer "to suffer," perhaps also "pretend to be ill," from malingre "ailing, sickly," possibly a blend of mingre "sickly, miserable" and malade "ill." Mingre is itself a blend of maigre "meager" + haingre "sick, haggard," possibly from Gmc. (cf. M.H.G. hager
"thin"). The sense evolution may be through notion of beggars with sham sores. Related: Malingerer; malingering.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

malinger ma·lin·ger (mə-lĭng'gər)
v. ma·lin·gered, ma·lin·ger·ing, ma·lin·gers
To feign illness or other incapacity in order to avoid duty or work.


ma·lin'ger·er n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
He believed strongly that if appellant could work, she would, and that she was
  not a malingerer.
He was no longer accused of being noncompliant or a malingerer.
Photographs taken by private investigators convinced managers that she was
  malingerer and was dishonest about her injuries.
The next guy comes along and says he is a malingerer.
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