mal-

Save This Word!

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).

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare male-.

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. 2022

How to use mal- in a sentence

Could the (thus far) timid trembling give way to a full-on, grand mal seizure?
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There is a phrase for the foreigners' rapture: mal d'afrique.
Susan Minot on Africa, Joseph Kony, and the Limits of Writing About Love|Lea Carpenter|February 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But on Sal Mal Lane, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Catholics live side by side in relative harmony.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 13, 2013|Mythili Rao, Sarah Stodola|May 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She invoked in him feelings of pity, despair, lust, and betrayal—the commanding themes of Les Fleurs du Mal.
Baudelaire’s Femme Fatale Muse|James MacManus|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But we know very little about the woman who became the inspiration for his masterwork, Les Fleurs du Mal.
Baudelaire’s Femme Fatale Muse|James MacManus|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Est avenu que ledit Martin huit iours apres son baptme a est frapp de ce mal, dont il est mort.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
C'est ainsi que Dieu sait tirer du mal vn bien; il chastie les siens, & neantmoins les soutient de sa main.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
La Grêce est mal placée géographiquement pour exercer une action sur la guerre.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
They went a little unsteadily down the stone steps, a cold, damp air meeting them in the face, close and mal-odorous.
The Empty House And Other Ghost Stories|Algernon Blackwood
Historians even are not agreed as to the origin of the famous device: Honi soit qui mal y pense.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell

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

Medical definitions for mal- (1 of 2)

mal

[ măl, mäl ]

A disease or disorder.

Medical definitions for mal- (2 of 2)

mal-

pref.

Bad; badly:malpractice.

Abnormal; abnormally:malformation.