mal-

¹ American  

1. 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 ).

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Mal. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Bible. Malachi.

2. Malayan.

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Mal. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Bible Malachi

2. Malay(an)

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MAL ² British  

abbreviation

1. Malaysia (international car registration)

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mal- ³ British  

combining form

1. bad or badly; wrong or wrongly; imperfect or defective

   maladjusted

   malfunction

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Etymology

Origin of mal-

Middle English < Old French, representing mal adv. (< Latin male badly, ill) and adj. (< Latin malus bad)

Example Sentences

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said protesters came out onto the street and began to march on police, not once but twice.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mal had returned home from her journey, flying back from the forest with arms outstretched and coat flapping, buffeted by the wind.

From Literature

Mal Arvorian could fly only when the wind blew.

From Literature

Until, that fine day, they settled on Mal.

From Literature

It had been years now since Mal had first learned to fly.

From Literature