mal-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mal"

English

Etymology

From Old French mal- from the Latin adverb male, from malus.

Prefix

mal-

1. bad, badly as in maladjusted, malcontent - faulty, faultily as in malfunction
2. not

Derived terms

► English words prefixed with mal-

See also

• mis-

---

Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowing from French mal- in its secondary sense of denoting the opposite.

Prefix

mal-

1. denotes opposites

   e.g. mal- + ‎alta ‎(“high”) → ‎malalta ‎(“low”).

Derived terms

► Esperanto words prefixed with mal-

---

French

Etymology

From Middle French [Term?], from Old French mal-, from mal ‎(“bad; badly”).

Prefix

mal-

1. badly; wrongly

   mal- + ‎faisant → ‎malfaisant ‎(“harmful”)

2. denotes the opposite of the unprefixed form

Derived terms

► French words prefixed with mal-

---

Italian

Prefix

mal-

1. bad; badly

Derived terms

► Italian words prefixed with mal-

---

Old French

Alternative forms

• mau-

Prefix

mal-

1. bad; badly

Synonyms

• mes-