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• mal-
  mal-

  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 ).
• Mal.
  Mal.

  abbreviation

  Malachi.
• MAL
  MAL

  abbreviation

  Malaysia (international car registration)

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

"For operational reasons, I won't go into who may be arrested but obviously we're working very closely with Commonwealth authorities," New South Wales state police commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Thursday before their arrival.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

George Harrison offers spoken holiday wishes before introducing long-suffering road manager, Mal Evans, who offers his own greeting.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025

Last week, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon visited Constable Hibbert in hospital, praising him as a "positive young man".

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

“For both officers, it will be a long road to recovery,” said Mal Lanyon, the New South Wales police commissioner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Christopher caught up with Mal; they pushed open the door and found themselves in a ballroom.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell