# mal-
## English
### Etymology

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

### Prefix

mal-
* bad, badly
    Synonym: mis-
** evil
    malism, malinfluence
** unhealthy, harmful
    maleffect
** unpleasant
    malodor
** incorrect
    Synonyms: para-, dis-, dys-, mis-
    maldifferentiation
** incomplete, unfinished
    maldescent
** poorly, deficiently
    Synonyms: under-, hypo-, dys-
    malfed, malnourished, malcirculation
* unintentional, mistaken, accidental
    Synonym: mis-
    malcommunication
* not
    Synonyms: a-, an-, dys-, in-, non-, un-
    maladherence, malcontent

#### Derived terms
### Anagrams

* ALM, AML, LAM, Lam, Lam., M.L.A., MLA, alm, lam

## Catalan
### Etymology

From mal.

### Prefix

mal-
* poorly, badly

#### Derived terms
### Further reading

* “mal-”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024

## Esperanto
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mal/
* Audio:(file)

### Prefix

mal-
* denotes opposites
    ‎mal- + ‎alta (“high”) → ‎malalta (“low”)
    ‎mal- + ‎ami (“to love”) → ‎malami (“to hate”)
    ‎mal- + ‎dekstra (“right”) → ‎maldekstra (“left”)

#### Usage notes

* Speakers of languages where words similar to mal- have meanings related to badness or evil should remember that mal- indicates solely the antonym, with no pejorative value. Affixes with pejorative connotations include mis- (“wrongly, incorrectly, poorly”), fi- (“shameful”), and -aĉ- (“inferior in quality, contemptible”).
* Despite the availability of mal-, many words denoting opposites are available; for example malgranda and eta (“small”), or malgaja and trista (“sad”). Some of these are poetic or rare, but others have passed into more or less common use. Mal- may and often is still used to produce the opposite, though in certain cases it might have a slightly different connotation; e.g. malpaco (“turmoil, strife”) vs. milito (“war”).
* When it is necessary to distinguish between the contrary of a sense and the absence of it, the latter may be indicated with ne- (“not”) or sen- (“without”). For example, malamiko (“enemy”) contrasts with neamiko "non-friend" (e.g. a stranger or acquaintance).

#### Derived terms

* mala (“opposite”, adjective)
* malo (“opposite”, noun)
* male (“on the contrary”)

### See also

* ne-, sen-, kontraŭ-

## French
### Etymology

Inherited from Middle French mal-, from Old French mal-, from mal (“bad; badly”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mal/
* Audio:(file)

### Prefix

mal-
* badly; wrongly
    ‎mal- + ‎faisant → ‎malfaisant (“harmful”)
* denotes the opposite of the unprefixed form

#### Derived terms
## Italian
### Etymology

From Latin male (“badly”).

### Prefix

mal-
* bad; badly

#### Derived terms
## Maltese
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mal/

### Preposition

mal-
* definite form of ma’ used before vowels or qamri consonants.
    mal-mara ― with the woman
    mal-idea ― with the idea

## Old French
### Alternative forms

* mau-

### Etymology

From Latin male (“badly”).

### Prefix

mal-
* bad; badly

#### Synonyms

* mes-

#### Derived terms
## Portuguese
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin male (“badly”).

### Prefix

mal-
* bad; badly
* poorly
* barely, hardly

## Spanish
### Etymology

From Latin male (“badly”).

### Prefix

mal-
* bad; badly