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mal-

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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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Origin of mal-

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

Other definitions for mal- (2 of 2)

Mal.

abbreviation
Bible. Malachi.
Malayan.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mal- in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mal- (1 of 3)

MAL

abbreviation for
Malaysia (international car registration)

British Dictionary definitions for mal- (2 of 3)

mal-

combining form
bad or badly; wrong or wrongly; imperfect or defectivemaladjusted; malfunction

Word Origin for mal-

Old French, from Latin malus bad, male badly

British Dictionary definitions for mal- (3 of 3)

Mal.

abbreviation for
Bible Malachi
Malay(an)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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