# mal
## Translingual
### Symbol

mal
* (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Malayalam.

### See also

* Wiktionary’s coverage of Malayalam terms

## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mæl/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -æl

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from French mal (“illness”). Doublet of malus.

#### Noun

mal (plural mals)
* (only in set phrases) illness, affliction.
    a grand mal seizure

##### Derived terms

* (illness): grand mal, petit mal, mal de mer, mal du Suisse

##### Related terms

* malfunction
* malice
* malicious
* malum
* malus

#### See also

* Mal

### Etymology 2

Clipping of malibu.

#### Noun

mal (plural mals)
* (surfing) A longboard (type of surfboard).

##### Derived terms

* mini-mal

### Etymology 3

Clipping of malleolus.

#### Noun

mal (plural mals)
* (medicine, informal) A malleolus.
    lateral mal

##### Derived terms

* lateral mal
* medial mal
* posterior mal

#### See also

* honi soit qui mal y pense
* mal mariée
* med mal

### Anagrams

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

## Afrikaans
### Etymology

From Dutch mal, from Middle Dutch mal.

### Adjective

mal (attributive mal, comparative maller, superlative malste)
* crazy
    Synonym: gek

#### Derived terms

* malheid

## Albanian
### Alternative forms

* mall
* malj

### Etymology

* A user suggests that this Albanian entry be cleaned up.
* Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.
From Proto-Albanian *mala, from Illyrian *mol-on. Vladimir Orel proposed Lithuanian malà (“land”) and Latvian mala (“bank, shore”) as cognates. Proto-Albanian *mal- reflecting an ancient Balkan toponym. Preserved in patroynms, ethnonym malësor (“highlander, mountaineer”), in toponym (historical and ethnographic region) Malësia (north Albania and Montenegro). In Kosovo (Malishevë, Gjilan, Mališevo, Prizren), in Serbia (Maleševo (Golubac), Maleševo (Rekovac)) and the name of Maleshevo Mountain (North Macedonia and Bulgaria). Gil'Ferding proposed Sanskrit मरु (marú, “wilderness, mountain, rock”) as a cognate. According to Michel Morvan a common pre-Indo-European substrate with Basque malda (“slope”) and malkor (“precipice”) (cf. pre-Indo-European geonymic root *mal (*mel, *mol), Tamil மலை (malai, “hill, mountain”) and Malayalam മല (mala, “id”)).
La Piana and Huld suggested Old English molda (“forehead”) and Sanskrit मूर्धन् (mūrdhan, “head, top, summit”), both derived from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥Hdʰṓ. Also connected to Ancient Greek *μλωθρός (*mlōthrós), μέλαθρον (mélathron, “ridgepole”), βλαστάνω (blastánō, “to sprout, grow”). Compare also Ancient Greek βλωθρός (blōthrós, “lofty”), Avestan 𐬐𐬀-𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬜𐬋 (ka-mər$^ə$δō, “demon's head”), with a semantic development from ‘head’ > ‘summit’, compare malë (“tongue tip, tree top”)) > ‘mountain’.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mal] (Standard, Tosk)

### Noun

mal m (plural male, definite mali, definite plural malet)
* mount
    Mali i Korabit ― Mount Korab
* mountain
    Synonym: bjeshkë
* (Gheg) forest
* large amount of something
    Kam marrë një mal me letra. ― I've received a lot of papers.

#### Derived terms

* kukumalkë
* malacak
* malamal
* male
* malesh
* malet
* maleve
* malevet
* malësi
* malësia
* malësor
* malësore
* mali
* malijë
* malin
* malit
* malok
* malor
* malt
* tërmal

#### Related terms

* majë

#### Descendants

* Aromanian: mal, meal
* Romanian: mal (“shore”)

### References

* ↑ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “mal”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 243 → (“Proto-Albanian *mala was borrowed into Rum. mal ('bank')”)
* ↑ Gustav Meyer (1891) Etymologisches Wörterbuch der albanesischen Sprache, Trübner, page 273
* ↑ Gustav Meyer (1892) Albanesische Studien III. Lautlehre des indogermanischen Bestandteile des Albanesischen, Carl Gerold's Sohn, pages 63, 78
* ↑ Ernst Eichler, Gerold Hilty, Heinrich Löffler, Hugo Steger, Ladislav Zgusta (1995) Namenforschung 1. Teilband (Name Studies Volume 1, Les noms propres Tome 1), Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin - New York, →ISBN Invalid ISBN, page 718 → (Chapter: 104. Illyrian-Albanian Toponyms)
* ↑ Michel Morvan (1996) Les origines linguistiques du Basque (The linguistic origins of Basque), Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux, →ISBN

## Aleut
### Pronunciation

* (Western) IPA: /ˈmal/

### Verb

mal
* to do

### References

* 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

## Aromanian
### Alternative forms

* malu

### Etymology

Cognate to Daco-Romanian mal. From Proto-Albanian *mala (“mountain”) (Albanian mal). Proto-Albanian *mal- reflecting an ancient Balkan toponym. See Albanian mal (“mountain”) for more.

### Noun

mal
* shore
* pile, heap

#### Related terms

* meal

### References

* ↑ Ernst Eichler, Gerold Hilty, Heinrich Löffler, Hugo Steger, Ladislav Zgusta (1995) Namenforschung 1. Teilband (Name Studies Volume 1, Les noms propres Tome 1), Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin - New York, →ISBN Invalid ISBN, page 718 → (Chapter: 104. Illyrian-Albanian Toponyms)
* ↑ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “mal”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 243 → (“Proto-Albanian *mala was borrowed into Rum. mal ('bank')”)
* ↑ Gustav Meyer (1891) Etymologisches Wörterbuch der albanesischen Sprache, Trübner, page 273
* ↑ Gustav Meyer (1892) Albanesische Studien III. Lautlehre des indogermanischen Bestandteile des Albanesischen, Carl Gerold's Sohn, pages 63, 78

## Azerbaijani
### Etymology

From Arabic مَال (māl, “property”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mɑɫ]
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

mal (definite accusative malı, plural mallar)
* property
    Synonym: əmlak
* goods, ware, commodity, product
    Synonyms: məhsul, (formal) əmtəə
    Çindən gətirilən mallar ― goods imported from China
* (colloquial) cargo
* cattle, livestock
* cow
    Synonym: inək
* beef (mostly in combination with ət (“meat”))
    mal əti ― beef
* (colloquial, by extension) a dumb, dull person; an idiot
    Nə var, mal kimi durmusan orada? ― Don't stand there like an idiot!
* (colloquial, derogatory, by extension) a well-fed, plump woman

#### Derived terms

* qaramal
* mal-qara
* maldar
* maldarlıq

### Further reading

* “mal” in Obastan.com.

## Bouyei
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ma˨˦/

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Tai *ʰmaːᴬ (“to come”). Cognate with Thai มา (maa), Northern Thai ᨾᩣ (ma), Lao ມາ (mā), Lü ᦙᦱ (maa), Ahom 𑜉𑜠 (ma), 𑜉𑜡 (mā), 𑜉𑜡𑜠 (māa), Zhuang maz.

#### Verb

mal
* to come

##### Derived terms

* bailmal
* daausmal
* gvasmal
* haucmal
* langlmal
* mal miz deeb
* maldnael
* malgenz
* mallac
* mallangl
* malroh
* osmal
* runsmal

### Etymology 2

From Proto-Tai *ʰmaːᴬ (“dog”). Cognate with Thai หมา, Lao ໝາ (mā), Lü ᦖᦱ (ṁaa), Shan မႃ (mǎa), Zhuang ma.

#### Noun

mal
* dog

##### Synonyms

* duezmal

##### Derived terms

* buxmal
* duezmal
* malbah
* maldag
* maldaus
* malfaangz
* malguangz
* malloongx
* malmeeh
* malnaiz
* malrail
* meehmal
* neengzmal
* nyalrianglmal
* rianglmaldus

## Cara
### Noun

mal
* water

### References

* R. Blench, The Rukul language of Central Nigeria and its affinities (2006) (mentions this word in notes)

## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈmal]
* Rhymes: -al

### Etymology 1

From Old Catalan mal, from Latin malus.

#### Noun

mal m (plural mals)
* evil, bad
    Antonym: bé
* illness
    Synonym: malaltia

##### Derived terms

* mal d'altura
* mal de muntanya
* mal lleig

##### Related terms

* malícia

### Etymology 2

From Old Catalan mal, from Latin male.

#### Adverb

mal
* badly, poorly
    Synonym: malament
    Antonym: bé

##### Derived terms

* anar a mal borràs
* malestar
* prendre mal

#### Adjective

mal (feminine mala, masculine plural mals, feminine plural males)
* bad, poor
    Synonym: dolent
    Antonym: bo

##### Derived terms

* a males
* mala herba
* malament

### Further reading

* “mal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “mal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “mal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “mal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Cebuano
### Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish mal, apocopic form of malo (“evil”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmal/ [ˈmal̪]

### Noun

mal
* (billiards) a foul

### Verb

mal
* (billiards) to commit a foul

## Cimbrian
### Etymology

From Middle High German māl, from Old High German māl, from Proto-West Germanic *māl, from Proto-Germanic *mēlą (“measurement; time; meal”). Cognate with German Mal, Mahl, English meal.

### Noun

mal n
* (Luserna) meal

#### Related terms

* malzait

### References

* “mal” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.

## Crimean Tatar
### Etymology

From Arabic مال (māl, “property”).

### Noun

mal
* article, product
* cattle, livestocks

#### Declension
### References

* “mal”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

## Dalmatian
### Alternative forms

* mul

### Etymology

From Latin malus.

### Noun

mal
* evil, harm

## Danish
### Verb

mal
* imperative of male

## Dutch
### Etymology 1

First attested in the seventeenth century. Ultimately derived from Old French modle, an old (11th century) borrowing from Latin modulus (“measure”). Doublet of module and modulus.

#### Pronunciation

* Rhymes: -ɑl
* Audio:(file)
* IPA: /mɑl/

#### Noun

mal f (plural mallen, diminutive malletje n)
* mold, cast (device to help creating shapes)

##### Descendants

* → Papiamentu: malchi, maltsje (from the diminutive)

### Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch mal, of uncertain origin. Cognate with German malle. Possibly related to French mal (“bad”) or Dutch malen (“to grind, crush”) in the sense "broken, twisted."

#### Adjective

mal (comparative maller, superlative malst)
* foolish, crazy, lacking common sense

##### Usage notes

The adjective mal always refers to an aspect of a thing or person. It is the adjective form of the noun mallerd. For other senses, dwaas, dom and gek are used.

##### Derived terms

* malle Eppie
* mallerd

##### Descendants

* Afrikaans: mal

### Further reading

* van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “mal1”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

### Anagrams

* lam

## French
### Pronunciation

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

### Etymology 1

From Old French mal, from Latin malus, possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mel- (“bad, wrong”). Near cognates include Portuguese mal, Italian male and Spanish malo.

#### Noun

mal m (plural maux)
* (as in the phrase: avoir du mal) trouble, difficulty
    Synonyms: problème, emmerde, misère, difficulté
    J’ai du mal à m’imaginer ça. ― I have trouble imagining that.
* pain
    Synonym: douleur
    J’ai mal à la tête. ― I have a headache. (literally, “I have pain at the head.”)
** 1986, “Il était une fois … une maison des musiciens [There Once Was… a House of Musicians]”, in Il était une fois … une petite grenouille [There Once Was… a Little Frog] (fiction), Paris: CLE International:Aïe, j’ai mal au bras ! Ouille, j’ai mal aux dents! Et toi, le lit, tu n’as pas mal aux pieds ? Non, mais j’ai mal à la tête. Moi, j’ai mal aux oreilles !Argh, my arms hurt! Oww, my teeth hurt! How about you, bed, don't your legs hurt? No, it's my head that hurts. As for me, my ears hurt!
* evil
    Le philosophe abordait de grandes questions du bon et du mal. ― The philosopher discussed broad questions of good and evil.
* damage, harm
    Synonyms: tort, dommage
    Le mal est fait. ― The damage is done.

##### Derived terms

* aux grands maux les grands remèdes
* avoir du mal
* avoir mal
* combattre le mal par le mal
* de deux maux, il faut choisir le moindre
* dire du mal
* en mal de
* entre deux maux, il faut choisir le moindre
* faire mal
* génie du mal
* le mal est fait
* le remède est pire que le mal
* mal de chien
* mal de débarquement
* mal de gorge
* mal de la route
* mal de l’air
* mal de mer
* mal de tête
* mal des transports
* mal du pays
* mal du siècle
* mal nécessaire
* mettre à mal
* ne pas faire de mal à une mouche
* petit mal
* plus de peur que de mal
* prendre son mal en patience
* se donner du mal
* soigner le mal par le mal
* un mal pour un bien

##### Related terms

* malice

##### Descendants

* → English: mal

### Etymology 2

From Old French, from Latin male.

#### Adverb

mal
* badly
    C’est mal fait. ― It's done badly.

#### Adjective

mal (feminine male, masculine plural maux, feminine plural males)
* (in set phrases and limited constructions) bad
    bon an, mal an ― good year, bad year
    bon gré, mal gré ― willy-nilly (literally, “good will, bad will”)
    Il est mal de [infinitive] ― It’s wrong to [infinitive]
    C’est mal de [infinitive] ― It’s wrong to [infinitive]

##### Synonyms

* mauvais
* méchant
* vilain
* laid
* merdique (vulgar slang)

#### Derived terms

* bien mal acquis ne profite jamais
* bon an mal an
* de mal en pis
* mal à l’aise
* mal à propos
* mal amanché
* mal baisé
* mal barré
* mal dans sa peau
* mal élevé
* mal embouché
* mal en point
* mal léché
* mal luné
* mal portant
* mal-aimé
* mal-être
* malade
* maladie
* maladresse
* maladroit
* malaise
* malaisé
* malentendu
* malfaisant
* malheur
* malséant
* pas mal
* prendre mal
* tant bien que mal

### Further reading

* “mal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* AML

## Galician
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmal/ [ˈmɑɫ]
* Rhymes: -al
* Hyphenation: mal

### Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese mal, from Latin male.

#### Adverb

mal
* badly
    Antonym: ben

### Etymology 2

From Old Galician-Portuguese mal, from Latin malum.

#### Noun

mal m (plural males)
* misfortune
* bad; evil
* sickness; disease

### Etymology 3
#### Adjective

mal m sg
* (before the noun) Apocopic form of malo

### Etymology 4

Attested since circa 1300 (máále), from Latin manualis (“manual”). Cognate with Portuguese mangual.

#### Alternative forms

* malle, mallo, manle, manlle

#### Noun

mal m (plural males)
* flail
** c. 1300, R. Martínez López, editor, General Estoria. Versión gallega del siglo XIV, Oviedo: Archivum, page 271:cõmo faz a lyma ao ferro, et a fornaz ao ouro que o purga et esmera et o faz puro et paresçe mellor, et cõmo faz outrosi o máále áá messe que a degrana em çeueyra et parte a palla do graão que e o melloras the file does to iron, and the furnace to gold, that purges and cleans it and makes it pure and looks better; and also as the flail does to the harvest, that threshes it into sustenance and parts the straw and the grain, which is the best part
** 1474, Antonio López Ferreiro, editor, Galicia Histórica. Colección diplomática, Santiago: Tipografía Galaica, page 67:Iten, preçaron hun maal en tres maravedisItem, they appraised a flail in three coins
* handle of the flail
    Synonyms: mango, mangueira, moca

### References

* Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “mal”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “maal”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “mal”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “mal”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “mal”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

## German
### Etymology

From the noun Mal (“time”). Partly shortened from einmal, which is also derived from the noun.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /maːl/ (standard)
* IPA: /ma/ (colloquial)
* Audio:(file)
* Homophones: Mahl, Mal, mahl
* Rhymes: -aːl

### Adverb

mal
* times (indicating multiplication of two numbers)
    sechs mal sieben ist zweiundvierzigsix times seven is forty-two
* (informal) Alternative form of einmal (“sometime, ever, once”), may serve to introduce a new information.
    Wenn du in Köln bist, musst du mal bei deiner Tante anrufen.When you’re in Cologne, you must call your aunt sometime.
    Ich geh mal zum Kaffeestand.I’m off to the coffee stall.(going to the coffee stall was not discussed at the moment)
* (informal) Softening a sentence, thus making a request or command more polite. By extension, indicating a command or request.
    Haben Sie mal Feuer?Do you have a lighter [please]?(can not imply that the asker is offering his lighter)
    Haste Feuer?D'ya have fire?(may imply that the asker is offering his lighter)
    Du musst mal deine Tante anrufen.You have to call your aunt.(urging to do it now or very soon)

#### Derived terms

* Malrechnung
* schon mal (schomma)

### Verb

mal
* singular imperative of malen
* (colloquial) first-person singular present of malen

### Further reading

* “mal (Adverb)” in Duden online
* “mal (Konjunktion)” in Duden online
* “mal (Partikel)” in Duden online
* “mal” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

## Guinea-Bissau Creole
### Etymology

From Portuguese mal. Cognate with Kabuverdianu mal.

### Adjective

mal
* bad

#### Related terms

* mau

## Icelandic
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [maːl]
* Rhymes: -aːl

### Etymology 1

From mala (“to purr”).

#### Noun

mal n (genitive singular mals, no plural)
* purr

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

See malur.

#### Noun

mal
* indefinite accusative singular of malur

## Indonesian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈmal]
* Hyphenation: mal

### Etymology 1

From Malay mal.

#### Noun

mal (plural mal-mal)
* head
    Synonym: kepala
* top (of kris)
    Synonym: ganja
* bottom (of a blade)
    Synonym: pangkal

### Etymology 2

From Malay mal, from Arabic مَال (māl).

#### Noun

mal (plural mal-mal)
* treasure
    Synonyms: khazanah, harta benda
* synonym of dana

### Etymology 3

From Dutch mal (“mold, cast”), from Old French modle, from Latin modulus (“measure”). Doublet of modulus.

#### Noun

mal (plural mal-mal)
* mold, cast
    Synonym: cetakan
* pattern
    Synonym: pola

### Etymology 4

From English mall.

#### Noun

mal (plural mal-mal)
* shopping centre, mall
    Synonyms: plaza, pusat perbelanjaan

### Further reading

* “mal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Interlingua
### Etymology

From Latin malus.

### Adjective

mal (comparative plus mal, superlative le plus mal)
* bad
* evil

### Adverb

mal (comparative plus mal, superlative le plus mal)
* badly, poorly
* wrongfully

### Noun

mal (plural males)
* bad, badness, something bad
* evil
* illness
* pain, ache

## Italian
### Noun

mal m (apocopated)
* Apocopic form of male

## Kabuverdianu
### Etymology

From Portuguese mal.

### Adjective

mal
* bad

#### Related terms

* mau

## Latvian
### Verb

mal
* inflection of malt:
** second-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

## Lombard
### Etymology

Akin to Italian male, from Latin malus.

### Adjective

mal
* bad

## Mangas
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /māl/

### Noun

mal
* heart

### References

* Blench, Robert; Bulkaam, Michael (2021) An Introduction to Mantsi, a South Bauchi language of Central Nigeria. University of Cambridge.

## Middle English
### Noun

mal
* Alternative form of male

### Adjective

mal
* Alternative form of male

## Middle French
### Etymology

From Old French mal.

### Noun

mal m (plural maulx)
* bad act

#### Descendants

* French: mal
** → English: mal

### Adjective

mal m (feminine singular male or malle, masculine plural maulx, feminine plural males or malles)
* bad; evil

#### Descendants

* French: mal

### Adverb

mal
* evilly; badly; poorly

#### Descendants

* French: mal

## Middle Welsh
### Noun

mal
* tax

## Miraya Bikol
### Etymology

Borrowed from Malay mahal. Compare Bikol Central mahal and Tagalog mahal.

### Adjective

mal
* expensive
    Antonym: barato

## Norman
### Etymology

From Old French mal, from Latin male.

### Adverb

mal
* (Guernsey) badly

### Adjective

mal
* (Guernsey) bad

## Northern Kurdish
### Etymology

From Proto-Iranian *dmáHnaH.

### Noun

mal f
* home
* family, dynasty, house

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology 1

From Dutch mal.

#### Noun

mal m (definite singular malen, indefinite plural maler, definite plural malene)
* a template

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

mal
* imperative of male

### References

* “mal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology 1

From Dutch mal.

#### Noun

mal m (definite singular malen, indefinite plural malar, definite plural malane)
* a template

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

mal
* imperative of mala

### References

* “mal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Old English
### Alternative forms

* maal

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *mailą.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mɑːl/

#### Noun

māl n
* mole (spot on the skin)
* mark, spot

##### Declension

Strong a-stem:

##### Descendants

* Middle English: mal, mole, mool
** English: mole
** Scots: mail, mold

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

māl n
* a suit, legal case, prosecution, defense

##### Derived terms

* friþmāl
* wiþermāl

#### References

* Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “mál”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

## Old French
### Etymology 1

From Latin male.

#### Adverb

mal
* evilly
* badly; poorly

##### Descendants

* Middle French: mal
** French: mal
*** → English: mal

### Etymology 2

From Latin malus.

#### Noun

mal oblique singular, m (oblique plural maus or max or mals, nominative singular maus or max or mals, nominative plural mal)
* evil
* pain, suffering

##### Descendants

* Middle French: mal
** French: mal
*** → English: mal

#### Adjective

mal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular male, comparative peior, superlative peior)
* bad (undesirable; not good)

##### Descendants

* Middle French: mal
** French: mal
*** → English: mal

## Old Galician-Portuguese
### Etymology

From Latin male (“badly; wrongly”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmal/
* Rhymes: -al

### Adverb

mal
* badly

#### Descendants

* Fala: mal
* Galician: mal
* Portuguese: mal (see there for further descendants)

## Old Occitan
### Etymology

From Latin malus. Gallo-Romance cognate with Old French mal.

### Adjective

mal
* bad (negative)
* bad (evil)

#### Descendants

* Occitan: mal

### References

* Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “malus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 6/1: Mabile–Mephitis, pages 123–128

## Phalura
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mal/

### Noun

mal f (Perso-Arabic spelling مل)
* goats

#### Inflection

i-decl (Obl): -í

### References

* Henrik Liljegren, Naseem Haider (2011) “mal”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈmaw/ [ˈmaʊ̯]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈmal/ [ˈmaɫ]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈmal/ [ˈmaɫ]
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /ˈma.li/
* Homophone: mau (Brazil)
* Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
* Hyphenation: mal

### Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese mal, from Latin male (“badly; wrongly”).

#### Alternative forms

* mar (eye dialect spelling, representing Caipira Portuguese)

#### Adverb

mal (comparable, comparative pior)
* badly (in a faulty, dysfunctional or incorrect manner)
    O carro está a funcionar/funcionando bem mal.The car is running pretty badly.
    (O) João fala inglês mal.John speaks English badly.
* (preceding verbs) hardly; barely
    Ele mal consegue estudar com todo este barulho.He can hardly study with all this noise.
* wrong (incorrect)
    A resposta está mal.The answer is wrong.
* unfavourably (in an unfavourable manner)
    Penso mal de ti.I think unfavourably of you.
    Ele fala mal de ti.He speaks unfavourably of you.
* (in compounds) evilly
    mal-assombrado ― haunted (literally, “evilly-shadowed”)
    mal-agourado ― cursed (literally, “evilly-foreboded”)

##### Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:mal.

##### Synonyms

* mamente, malmente

#### Conjunction

mal
* have/had just; have/had barely
    Mal tinha saído quando a encontrei.I had barely gone out when I found her.

##### Quotations

* For quotations using this term, see Citations:mal.

### Etymology 2

From Latin malus. Compare Italian male, Sicilian mali.

#### Noun

mal m (plural males)
* (uncountable) evil (malevolent forces or behaviour)
    As forças do mal cercaram o castelo.The forces of evil sieged the castle.
* harm
    Ela não fez por mal.She meant no harm.
    Não faz mal.No problem. (It does not matter.)
* malady (any ailment or disease, especially a lingering one)
    mal de ParkinsonParkinson's disease
    Males como a SIDA e pneumonia são mortais.Illnesses such as AIDS and pneumonia are deadly.

##### Quotations

* For quotations using this term, see Citations:mal.

##### Synonyms

* (sickness or syndrome): maladia

##### Derived terms

* mal de Parkinson
* mal-assombrado
* mal-feito

##### Related terms

* maladia
* maldade
* malevolência
* malévolo
* maleza
* malícia
* malvadeza
* malvado
* mau

#### Adjective

mal
* (Brazil) Misspelling of mau.

### Descendants

* Guinea-Bissau Creole: mal
* Kabuverdianu: mal

## Romanian
### Etymology

Cognate to Aromanian mal and meal. From Proto-Albanian *mala (“mountain”) (Standard Albanian mal). See Albanian mal (“mountain”) for more.

### Noun

mal n (plural maluri)
* shore

#### Declension
### References

* ↑ Ernst Eichler, Gerold Hilty, Heinrich Löffler, Hugo Steger, Ladislav Zgusta (1995) Namenforschung 1. Teilband (Name Studies Volume 1, Les noms propres Tome 1), Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin - New York, →ISBN, page 718 → (Chapter: 104. Illyrian-Albanian Toponyms)
* ↑ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “mal”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 243 → (“Proto-Albanian *mala was borrowed into Rum. mal ('bank')”)
* ↑ Gustav Meyer (1891) Etymologisches Wörterbuch der albanesischen Sprache, Trübner, page 273
* ↑ Gustav Meyer (1892) Albanesische Studien III. Lautlehre des indogermanischen Bestandteile des Albanesischen, Carl Gerold's Sohn, pages 63, 78

## Serbo-Croatian
### Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *malъ, from Proto-Indo-European *moh₁los.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mâːl/

### Adjective

mȃl (Cyrillic spelling ма̑л, definite mȃlī, comparative mȁnjī)
* small

#### Related terms

* màlen

### Further reading

* “mal”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

## Slovak
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mal]

### Participle

mal
* masculine singular l-participle of mať

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmal/ [ˈmal]
* Audio (Colombia):(file)
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: mal

### Etymology 1

Apocopic form of malo, from Latin malus, possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mel- (“bad, wrong”).

#### Adjective

mal m (apocopate, standard form malo)
* (before the noun) Apocopic form of malo bad; evil
* amiss, awry, off, wrong
    Me di cuenta de que algo estaba mal.I realized something was amiss.

##### Usage notes

* Mal is only used before a masculine singular noun. In other positions, malo is used instead.

##### Derived terms

* mal de la azotea
* mal de ojo
* mal del coco
* mal fario
* mal viaje
* mala pata
* malas pulgas
* no hay mal que por bien no venga
* parar en mal

##### Related terms

* maleza
* malicia

### Etymology 2

From Latin male.

#### Adverb

mal (comparative peor)
* badly, poorly, ill
    No hables mal de los muertos.Don't speak ill of the dead.
    Qué mal.Too bad. / That's too bad.
* awry, amiss, wrong, wrongly
    Tu plan maestro salió mal bastante rápidoYour master plan went awry pretty quickly.
* hard (functions as an adverb in Spanish but translates as an adjective in English)
    Estoy pasándolo mal con todo ahora mismo.I'm just having a hard time with everything right now.

##### Derived terms

* bien que mal
* mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos
* mal nacido
* mal que bien
* mal que te pese
* mal visto
* más vale solo que mal acompañado
* menos mal
* si mal no me acuerdo
* venir mal dadas

#### Noun

mal m (plural males)
* evil, harm; a bad thing or situation
    de mal en peor ― from bad to worse
* disease, illness, ailment
    ... le curaremos, si es que su mal tiene cura...... we shall cure him, if his ailment has a cure...(Cervantes, Quijote, ch. 23)
* worse (substantive)
    para bien o para mal ― for better or for worse

##### Derived terms

* a grandes males, grandes remedios
* árbol de la ciencia del bien y del mal
* dar más mal que un hijo tonto
* de mal a mal
* eje del mal
* mal de bubas
* mal de la rosa
* mal de la tierra
* mal de Loanda
* mal de madre
* mal de montaña
* mal de orina
* mal de piedra
* mal de pinto
* mal de san Lázaro
* mal del puerco
* mal francés
* mal menor
* mal necesario
* mal que
* no hay mal que por bien no venga
* perro del mal

### Further reading

* “mal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mɑːl/
* Audio (Gotland); “en mal”:(file)
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɑːl

### Etymology 1

From Old Norse mǫlr, from Proto-Germanic *malwan, from Proto-Indo-European *molH-(y)o-. See also Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌻𐍉 (malō) and German Milbe.

#### Noun

mal c
* moth
* wels catfish, Silurus glanis

##### See also

* fjäril c
* larv c
* nattfjäril c

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

mal
* inflection of mala:
** imperative
** present indicative

### References

* mal in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* mal in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* mal in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

### Anagrams

* LMA, alm, lam

## Turkish
### Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish مال (mal), from Arabic مَال (māl, “property”).

### Pronunciation

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

### Noun

mal (definite accusative malı, plural mallar or (dated) emval)
* cattle
* goods, property
* asset
* (economy) merchandise
* (law) goods, commodity
* (colloquial, derogatory) (no equivalent expression; likely) an expendable or ignorable stupid and annoying person, douche, prick
* (slang, vulgar) a prostitute
* (slang) heroin

#### Declension

singular
plural
nominative
mal
mallar
definite accusative
malı
malları
dative
mala
mallara
locative
malda
mallarda
ablative
maldan
mallardan
genitive
malın
malların
Possessive forms
nominative
singular
plural
1st singular
malım
mallarım
2nd singular
malın
malların
3rd singular
malı
malları
1st plural
malımız
mallarımız
2nd plural
malınız
mallarınız
3rd plural
malları
malları
definite accusative
singular
plural
1st singular
malımı
mallarımı
2nd singular
malını
mallarını
3rd singular
malını
mallarını
1st plural
malımızı
mallarımızı
2nd plural
malınızı
mallarınızı
3rd plural
mallarını
mallarını
dative
singular
plural
1st singular
malıma
mallarıma
2nd singular
malına
mallarına
3rd singular
malına
mallarına
1st plural
malımıza
mallarımıza
2nd plural
malınıza
mallarınıza
3rd plural
mallarına
mallarına
locative
singular
plural
1st singular
malımda
mallarımda
2nd singular
malında
mallarında
3rd singular
malında
mallarında
1st plural
malımızda
mallarımızda
2nd plural
malınızda
mallarınızda
3rd plural
mallarında
mallarında
ablative
singular
plural
1st singular
malımdan
mallarımdan
2nd singular
malından
mallarından
3rd singular
malından
mallarından
1st plural
malımızdan
mallarımızdan
2nd plural
malınızdan
mallarınızdan
3rd plural
mallarından
mallarından
genitive
singular
plural
1st singular
malımın
mallarımın
2nd singular
malının
mallarının
3rd singular
malının
mallarının
1st plural
malımızın
mallarımızın
2nd plural
malınızın
mallarınızın
3rd plural
mallarının
mallarının
Predicative forms
singular
plural
1st singular
malım
mallarım
2nd singular
malsın
mallarsın
3rd singular
mal maldır
mallar mallardır
1st plural
malız
mallarız
2nd plural
malsınız
mallarsınız
3rd plural
mallar
mallardır :

#### Related terms

* emval

#### Descendants

* → Albanian: mall

### Further reading

* “mal”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu

## West Albay Bikol
### Etymology

Borrowed from Malay mahal. Compare Bikol Central mahal and Tagalog mahal.

### Adjective

mal
* expensive
    Antonym: barato

## Woleaian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmaɾ/

### Noun

mal
* bird

## Zou
### Noun

mal
* thigh

### References

* Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 45