Male- Male- (măl- or măle-). See Mal- .

Male-odor Male-o"dor noun See Malodor .

Male-spirited Male"-spir`it·ed adjective Having the spirit of a male; vigorous; courageous. [ R.] B. Jonson.

Maleadministration Male`ad·min`is·tra"tion (măl`ăd*mĭn`ĭs*trā"shŭn) noun Maladministration.

Maleate Ma·le"ate noun A salt of maleic acid.

Malebranchism Male·branch"ism noun The philosophical system of Malebranche, an eminent French metaphysician. The fundamental doctrine of his system is that the mind can not have knowledge of anything external to itself except in its relation to God.

Maleconformation Male·con`for·ma"tion noun Malconformation.

Malecontent Male"con·tent` adjective Malcontent.

Maledicency Mal`e·di"cen·cy noun [ Latin maledicentia . See Maledicent .] Evil speaking. [ Obsolete] Atterbury.

Maledicent Mal`e·di"cent adjective [ Latin maledicens , present participle of maledicere to speak ill; male ill + dicere to say, speak. See Malice , and Diction .] Speaking reproachfully; slanderous. [ Obsolete] Sir E. Sandys.

Maledict Mal"e·dict adjective [ Latin maledictus , past participle of maledicere .] Accursed; abominable. [ R.]

Malediction Mal`e·dic"tion noun [ Latin maledictio : confer French malédiction . See Maledicent .] A proclaiming of evil against some one; a cursing; imprecation; a curse or execration; -- opposed to benediction .

No malediction falls from his tongue.

Longfellow.

Syn. -- Cursing; curse; execration; imprecation; denunciation; anathema. -- Malediction , Curse , Imprecation , Execration . Malediction is the most general term, denoting bitter reproach, or wishes and predictions of evil. Curse implies the desire or threat of evil, declared upon oath or in the most solemn manner. Imprecation is literally the praying down of evil upon a person. Execration is literally a putting under the ban of excommunication, a curse which excludes from the kingdom of God. In ordinary usage, the last three words describe profane swearing, execration being the strongest.

Malefaction Mal`e·fac"tion noun [ See Malefactor .] A crime; an offense; an evil deed. [ R.] Shak.

Malefactor Mal`e·fac"tor noun [ Latin , from malefacere to do evil; male ill, evil + facere to do. See Malice , and Fact .] 1. An evil doer; one who commits a crime; one subject to public prosecution and punishment; a criminal.

2. One who does wrong by injuring another, although not a criminal. [ Obsolete] H. Brooke. Fuller.

Syn. -- Evil doer; criminal; culprit; felon; convict.

Malefactress Mal`e·fac"tress noun A female malefactor. Hawthorne.

Malefeasance Male·fea"sance noun See Malfeasance .

Malefic Ma·lef"ic adjective [ Latin maleficus : confer French maléfique . See Malefaction .] Doing mischief; causing harm or evil; nefarious; hurtful. [ R.] Chaucer.

Malefice Mal"e·fice noun [ Latin maleficium : confer French maléfice . See Malefactor .] An evil deed; artifice; enchantment. [ Obsolete]

Maleficence Ma·lef"i·cence noun [ Latin maleficentia . Confer Malfeasance .] Evil doing, esp. to others.

Maleficent Ma·lef"i·cent adjective [ See Malefic .] Doing evil to others; harmful; mischievous.

Maleficial Mal`e·fi"cial adjective Injurious. Fuller.

Maleficiate Mal`e·fi"ci·ate transitive verb [ Late Latin maleficiatus , past participle of maleficiare to bewitch, from Latin maleficium . See Malefice .] To bewitch; to harm. [ Obsolete] Burton.

Maleficiation Mal`e·fi`ci·a"tion noun A bewitching. [ Obsolete]

Maleficience Mal`e·fi"cience noun [ See Maleficence .] The doing of evil, harm, or mischief.

Maleficient Mal`e·fi"cient adjective [ See Maleficent .] Doing evil, harm, or mischief.

Maleformation Male`for·ma"tion noun See Malformation .

Maleic Ma·le"ic adjective [ Confer French maléique . See Malic .] (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of the ethylene series, metameric with fumaric acid and obtained by heating malic acid.

Malengine Ma·len"gine noun [ Old French malengin ; Latin malus bad, evil + ingenium natural capacity. See Engine .] Evil machination; guile; deceit. [ Obsolete] Gower.

Maleo Ma"le·o noun [ From its native name.] (Zoology) A bird of Celebes ( megacephalon maleo ), allied to the brush turkey. It makes mounds in which to lay its eggs.

Malepractice Male·prac"tice noun See Malpractice .

Malet Mal"et noun [ French mallette , dim. of malle . See Mail a bag.] A little bag or budget. [ Obsolete] Shelton.

Maletreat Male·treat" transitive verb See Maltreat .

Malevolence Ma·lev"o·lence noun [ Latin malevolentia . See Malevolent .] The quality or state of being malevolent; evil disposition toward another; inclination to injure others; ill will. See Synonym of Malice .

Malevolent Ma·lev"o·lent adjective [ Latin malevolens , -entis ; male ill + volens , present participle of velle to be willing or disposed, to wish. See Malice , and Voluntary .] Wishing evil; disposed to injure others; rejoicing in another's misfortune.

Syn. -- Ill-disposed; envious; mischievous; evil-minded; spiteful; malicious; malignant; rancorous.

Malevolently Ma·lev"o·lent·ly adverb In a malevolent manner.

Malevolous Ma·lev"o·lous adjective [ Latin malevolus ; from male ill + velle to be disposed.] Malevolent. [ Obsolete] Bp. Warburton.

Malexecution Mal·ex`e·cu"tion noun [ Mal- + execution .] Bad execution. D. Webster.

Maleyl Ma·le"yl noun [ Maleic + - yl .] (Chemistry) A hypothetical radical derived from maleic acid.

Malfeasance Mal·fea"sance noun [ French malfaisance , from malfaisant injurious, doing ill; mal ill, evil + faisant doing, present participle of faire to do. See Malice , Feasible , and confer Maleficence .] (Law) The doing of an act which a person ought not to do; evil conduct; an illegal deed. [ Written also malefeasance .]

Malformation Mal`for·ma"tion noun [ Mal- + formation .] Ill formation; irregular or anomalous formation; abnormal or wrong conformation or structure.

Malgracious Mal·gra"cious adjective [ French malgracieux .] Not graceful; displeasing. [ Obsolete] Gower.

Malgre Mal"gre preposition See Mauger .

Malic Ma"lic adjective [ Latin malum an apple: confer French malique .] (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or obtained from, apples; as, malic acid.

Malic acid , a hydroxy acid obtained as a substance which is sirupy or crystallized with difficulty, and has a strong but pleasant sour taste. It occurs in many fruits, as in green apples, currants, etc. It is levorotatory or dextrorotatory according to the temperature and concentration. An artificial variety is a derivative of succinic acid, but has no action on polarized light, and thus malic acid is a remarkable case of physical isomerism.

Malice Mal"ice (măl"ĭs) noun [ French malice , from Latin malitia , from malus bad, ill, evil, probably orig., dirty, black; confer Greek me`las black, Sanskrit mala dirt. Confer Mauger .] 1. Enmity of heart; malevolence; ill will; a spirit delighting in harm or misfortune to another; a disposition to injure another; a malignant design of evil. "Nor set down aught in malice ." Shak.

Envy, hatred, and malice are three distinct passions of the mind.

Ld. Holt.

2. (Law) Any wicked or mischievous intention of the mind; a depraved inclination to mischief; an intention to vex, annoy, or injure another person, or to do a wrongful act without just cause or cause or excuse; a wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others; willfulness.

Malice aforethought or prepense , malice previously and deliberately entertained.

Syn. -- Spite; ill will; malevolence; grudge; pique; bitterness; animosity; malignity; maliciousness; rancor; virulence. See Spite . -- Malevolence , Malignity , Malignancy . Malice is a stronger word than malevolence , which may imply only a desire that evil may befall another, while malice desires, and perhaps intends, to bring it about. Malignity is intense and deepseated malice . It implies a natural delight in hating and wronging others. One who is malignant must be both malevolent and malicious ; but a man may be malicious without being malignant .

Proud tyrants who maliciously destroy
And ride o'er ruins with malignant joy.

Somerville.

in some connections, malignity seems rather more pertinently applied to a radical depravity of nature, and malignancy to indications of this depravity, in temper and conduct in particular instances.

Cogan.

Malice Mal"ice transitive verb To regard with extreme ill will. [ Obsolete]

Malicho Mal"i·cho noun [ Spanish malhecho ; mal bad + hecho deed, Latin factum . See Fact .] Mischief. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Malicious Ma·li"cious adjective [ Of. malicius , French malicieux , from Latin malitiosus . See Malice .] 1. Indulging or exercising malice; harboring ill will or enmity.

I grant him bloody, . . .
Sudden, malicious , smacking of every sin
That has a name.

Shak.

2. Proceeding from hatred or ill will; dictated by malice; as, a malicious report; malicious mischief.

3. (Law) With wicked or mischievous intentions or motives; wrongful and done intentionally without just cause or excuse; as, a malicious act.

Malicious abandonment , the desertion of a wife or husband without just cause. Burrill. -- Malicious mischief (Law) , malicious injury to the property of another; -- an offense at common law. Wharton. -- Malicious prosecution or arrest (Law) , a wanton prosecution or arrest, by regular process in a civil or criminal proceeding, without probable cause. Bouvier.

Syn. -- Ill-disposed; evil-minded; mischievous; envious; malevolent; invidious; spiteful; bitter; malignant; rancorous; malign.

-- Ma*li"cious*ly , adverb -- Ma*li"cious*ness , noun

Malign Ma·lign" adjective [ Latin malignus , for maligenus , i. e., of a bad kind or nature; malus bad + the root of genus birth, race, kind: confer French malin , masc., maligne , fem. See Malice , Gender , and confer Benign , Malignant .] 1. Having an evil disposition toward others; harboring violent enmity; malevolent; malicious; spiteful; -- opposed to benign .

Witchcraft may be by operation of malign spirits.

Bacon.

2. Unfavorable; unpropitious; pernicious; tending to injure; as, a malign aspect of planets.

3. Malignant; as, a malign ulcer. [ R.] Bacon.

Malign Ma·lign" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Maligned ; present participle & verbal noun Maligning .] [ Confer Latin malignare . See Malign , adjective ] To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to wrong; to injure. [ Obsolete]

The people practice what mischiefs and villainies they will against private men, whom they malign by stealing their goods, or murdering them.

Spenser.

2. To speak great evil of; to traduce; to defame; to slander; to vilify; to asperse.

To be envied and shot at; to be maligned standing, and to be despised falling.

South.

Malign Ma·lign" intransitive verb To entertain malice. [ Obsolete]

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
You are here: Webster > Letter M > Page 12 of 126.
« Previous ¦4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ¦ Next »