Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Mal-

Mal-

(măl-)
.
A prefix in composition denoting
ill
, or
evil
, F.
male
, adv., fr.
malus
, bad, ill. In some words it has the form
male-
, as in
male
diction,
male
volent. See
Malice
.
☞ The form male- is chiefly used in cases where the e, either alone or with other letters, is pronounced as a separate syllable, as in malediction, malefactor, maleficent, etc. Where this is not the case, as in malfeasance or male-feasance, malformation or male-formation, etc., as also where the word to which it is prefixed commences with a vowel, as in maladministration, etc., the form
mal
is to be preferred, and is the one commonly employed.

Definition 2024


mal-

mal-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mal"

English

Prefix

mal-

  1. bad, badly as in maladjusted, malcontent - faulty, faultily as in malfunction
  2. not

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:English_words_prefixed_with_mal-'>English words prefixed with mal-</a>

See also


Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowing from French mal- in its secondary sense of denoting the opposite.

Prefix

mal-

  1. denotes opposites
    e.g. mal- + alta (high)malalta (low).

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Esperanto_words_prefixed_with_mal-'>Esperanto words prefixed with mal-</a>

French

Etymology

From Middle French [Term?], from Old French mal-, from mal (bad; badly).

Prefix

mal-

  1. badly; wrongly
    mal- + faisantmalfaisant (harmful)
  2. denotes the opposite of the unprefixed form

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:French_words_prefixed_with_mal-'>French words prefixed with mal-</a>

Italian

Prefix

mal-

  1. bad; badly

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Italian_words_prefixed_with_mal-'>Italian words prefixed with mal-</a>

Old French

Alternative forms

Prefix

mal-

  1. bad; badly

Synonyms