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).
Compare male-.

Origin of mal-

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

Words nearby mal-

makuta, makutu, mal, mal de mer, mal du pays, mal-, mal., mala, mala fide, mala fides, malabar coast

Definition for mal (2 of 2)

Mal.

Malachi.
Malayan.

Example sentences from the Web for mal

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 defective maladjusted; 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)

Medical definitions for mal (1 of 2)

mal
[ măl, mäl ]

n.

A disease or disorder.

Medical definitions for mal (2 of 2)

mal-

pref.

Bad; badly:malpractice.
Abnormal; abnormally:malformation.