See more synonyms for malice aforethought on Thesaurus.com- a predetermination to commit an unlawful act without just cause or provocation (applied chiefly to cases of first-degree murder).
Origin of malice aforethought
First recorded in 1660–70
Also called malice prepense.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for malice aforethought- the predetermination to do an unlawful act, esp to kill or seriously injure
- the intent with which an unlawful killing is effected, which must be proved for the crime to constitute murderSee also murder, manslaughter
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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