MAL-
Jeff from Traverse City
asked where the prefix mal-
came from, as in malcontent, malnutrition, and malware.
It came to us from the
Latin, where the adjective malus
meant bad, wrong, or improper. No newcomer, it’s been used in English for
centuries but is still quite useful, as the word malware shows. Malware is a
computer program written with the intent to disrupt or harm the machine into
which it is inserted. It’s an umbrella term for spyware, virus, worm, and so
forth. The word is probably a blend of malicious and software.
The idea of impropriety,
poor functioning, evil, or corruption is deep-seated in human experience if
repeated word parts are a legitimate measure. A few common and uncommon ways of
expressing it are encased in the following forms:
- dys- dyslexia,
dysentery
- caco- cacophony,
cacology
- kaki- kakistocracy,
kakistocratical
- kako- kakodaimon,
kakodoxy
- perv- perversion,
pervert
- ponero- ponerology,
ponerologist
- prav- depraved,
depravity
- turp- turpitude,
turpitudinous
- vitia- vitiate, vitiated
Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts
Dictionary, 2nd edition
Nook edition
Nook edition
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