mal

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mal"

Languages (51)

Translingual • English

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Page categories

Translingual

Symbol

mal

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

See also

• Wiktionary's coverage of Malayalam terms

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mæl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æl

Etymology 1

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

Noun

mal (plural mals)

1. (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)

1. (surfing) A longboard (type of surfboard).

Derived terms

• mini-mal

Etymology 3

Clipping of malleolus.

Noun

mal (plural mals)

1. (medicine, informal) A malleolus.

   lateral mal

Derived terms

• lateral mal
• medial mal
• posterior mal

 

See also

etymologically unrelated terms containing "mal"

• 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)

1. crazy

   Synonym: gek

Inflection

Inflection of mal

	predicative	attributive	independent		partitive
			singular	plural
positive	mal		malle	malles	mals
comparative	maller		mallere	malleres	mallers
superlative	malste			malstes	—

Derived terms

• malheid

Albanian

Alternative forms

• mall
• malj

Etymology

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^əδō, “demon's head”), with a semantic development from ‘head’ > ‘summit’, compare malë (“tongue tip, tree top”)) > ‘mountain’.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mal] (Standard, Tosk)

Noun

mal m (plural male, definite mali, definite plural malet)

1. mount

   Mali i Korabit ― Mount Korab

2. mountain

   Synonym: bjeshkë

3. forest (Gheg)
4. large amount of something

   Kam marrë një mal me letra. ― I've received a lot of papers.

Declension

Declension of mal

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mal	mali	male	malet
accusative		malin
dative	mali	malit	maleve	maleve
ablative			malesh

Derived terms

• kukumalkë
• male
• malesh
• malet
• maleve
• malevet
• malësi
• malësia
• malësor
• malësore
• mali
• malin
• malit
• tërmal

 

Related terms

• majë

Descendants

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

Aleut

Pronunciation

• (Western) IPA^(key): /ˈmal/

Verb

mal

1. 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

1. shore
2. pile, heap

Related terms

• meal

Azerbaijani

Etymology

From Arabic مَال (māl, “property”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mɑɫ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

mal (definite accusative malı, plural mallar)

1. property

   Synonym: əmlak

2. goods, ware, commodity, product

   Synonyms: məhsul, (formal) əmtəə

   Çindən gətirilən mallar ― goods imported from China

3. (colloquial) cargo
4. cattle, livestock
5. cow

   Synonym: inək

6. beef (mostly in combination with ət (“meat”))

   mal əti ― beef

7. (colloquial, by extension) a dumb, dull person; an idiot

   Nə var mal kimi durmusan orada? ― Don't stand there like an idiot!

8. (colloquial, derogatory, by extension) a well-fed, plump woman

Declension

Declension of mal
	singular	plural
nominative	mal	mallar
definite accusative	malı	malları
dative	mala	mallara
locative	malda	mallarda
ablative	maldan	mallardan
definite genitive	malın	malların

Possessive forms of mal
	nominative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	malım	mallarım
sənin (“your”)	malın	malların
onun (“his/her/its”)	malı	malları
bizim (“our”)	malımız	mallarımız
sizin (“your”)	malınız	mallarınız
onların (“their”)	malı or malları	malları
	accusative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	malımı	mallarımı
sənin (“your”)	malını	mallarını
onun (“his/her/its”)	malını	mallarını
bizim (“our”)	malımızı	mallarımızı
sizin (“your”)	malınızı	mallarınızı
onların (“their”)	malını or mallarını	mallarını
	dative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	malıma	mallarıma
sənin (“your”)	malına	mallarına
onun (“his/her/its”)	malına	mallarına
bizim (“our”)	malımıza	mallarımıza
sizin (“your”)	malınıza	mallarınıza
onların (“their”)	malına or mallarına	mallarına
	locative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	malımda	mallarımda
sənin (“your”)	malında	mallarında
onun (“his/her/its”)	malında	mallarında
bizim (“our”)	malımızda	mallarımızda
sizin (“your”)	malınızda	mallarınızda
onların (“their”)	malında or mallarında	mallarında
	ablative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	malımdan	mallarımdan
sənin (“your”)	malından	mallarından
onun (“his/her/its”)	malından	mallarından
bizim (“our”)	malımızdan	mallarımızdan
sizin (“your”)	malınızdan	mallarınızdan
onların (“their”)	malından or mallarından	mallarından
	genitive
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	malımın	mallarımın
sənin (“your”)	malının	mallarının
onun (“his/her/its”)	malının	mallarının
bizim (“our”)	malımızın	mallarımızın
sizin (“your”)	malınızın	mallarınızın
onların (“their”)	malının or mallarının	mallarının

Derived terms

• qaramal
• mal-qara
• maldar
• maldarlıq

 

Further reading

• “mal” in Obastan.com.

Bouyei

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /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

1. 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

1. dog

Synonyms

• duezmal

Derived terms

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

 

Cara

Noun

mal

1. water

References

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

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈmal]
• Rhymes: -al

Etymology 1

From Old Catalan mal, from Latin malus.

Noun

mal m (plural mals)

1. evil, bad

   Antonym: bé

2. 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

1. 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)

1. 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, 2024
• “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^(key): /ˈmal/ [ˈmal̪]

Noun

mal

1. (billiards) a foul

Verb

mal

1. (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

1. (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

1. article, product
2. cattle, livestocks

Declension

Declension of mal

	singular	plural
nominative	mal	mallar
genitive	malnıñ	mallarnıñ
dative	malğa	mallarğa
accusative	malnı	mallarnı
locative	malda	mallarda
ablative	maldan	mallardan

References

• “mal”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

• mul

Etymology

From Latin malus.

Noun

mal

1. evil, harm

Danish

Verb

mal

1. imperative of male

Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old French modle, an old (11th century) borrowing from Latin modulus (“measure”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑl

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /mɑl/

Noun

mal f (plural mallen, diminutive malletje n)

1. 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)

1. 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.

Declension

Declension of mal
uninflected	mal
inflected	malle
comparative	maller
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		mal	maller	het malst het malste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	malle	mallere	malste
	n. sing.	mal	maller	malste
	plural	malle	mallere	malste
definite		malle	mallere	malste
partitive		mals	mallers	—

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^(key): /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)

1. (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.

2. 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!

3. evil

   Le philosophe abordait de grandes questions du bon et du mal. ― The philosopher discussed broad questions of good and evil.

4. 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 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

1. badly

   C’est mal fait. ― It's done badly.

Adjective

mal (feminine male, masculine plural maux, feminine plural males)

1. (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^(key): /ˈmal/ [ˈmɑɫ]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: mal

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese mal, from Latin male.

Adverb

mal

1. badly

   Antonym: ben

Etymology 2

From Old Galician-Portuguese mal, from Latin malum.

Noun

mal m (plural males)

1. misfortune
2. bad; evil
3. sickness; disease

Etymology 3

Adjective

mal m sg

1. (before the noun) Apocopic form of malo

Etymology 4

Peasants using males ("flails") to thresh cereal

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

Alternative forms

• malle, mallo, manle, manlle

Noun

mal m (plural males)

1. 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 mellor

     as 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 maravedis

     Item, they appraised a flail in three coins

2. 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: ILG
• 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^(key): /maːl/ (standard)
• IPA^(key): /ma/ (colloquial)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: Mahl, Mal, mahl
• Rhymes: -aːl

Adverb

mal

1. times (indicating multiplication of two numbers)

   sechs mal sieben ist zweiundvierzig

   six times seven is forty-two

2. (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)

3. (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

1. singular imperative of malen
2. (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

1. bad

Related terms

• mau

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [maːl]
• Rhymes: -aːl

Etymology 1

From mala (“to purr”).

Noun

mal n (genitive singular mals, no plural)

1. purr

Declension

Declension of mal (sg-only neuter)

	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	mal	malið
accusative	mal	malið
dative	mali	malinu
genitive	mals	malsins

Etymology 2

See malur.

Noun

mal

1. indefinite accusative singular of malur

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmal]
• Hyphenation: mal

Etymology 1

From Malay mal.

Noun

mal (first-person possessive malku, second-person possessive malmu, third-person possessive malnya)

1. head

   Synonym: kepala

2. top (of kris)

   Synonym: ganja

3. bottom (of a blade)

   Synonym: pangkal

Etymology 2

From Malay mal, from Arabic مَال (māl).

Noun

mal (first-person possessive malku, second-person possessive malmu, third-person possessive malnya)

1. treasure

   Synonyms: khazanah, harta benda

2. synonym of dana

Etymology 3

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

Noun

mal (first-person possessive malku, second-person possessive malmu, third-person possessive malnya)

1. mold, cast.

   Synonym: cetakan

2. pattern.

   Synonym: pola

Etymology 4

From English mall.

Noun

mal (first-person possessive malku, second-person possessive malmu, third-person possessive malnya)

1. 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)

1. bad
2. evil

Adverb

mal (comparative plus mal, superlative le plus mal)

1. badly, poorly
2. wrongfully

Noun

mal (plural males)

1. bad, badness, something bad
2. evil
3. illness
4. pain, ache

Italian

Noun

mal m (apocopated)

1. Apocopic form of male

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese mal.

Adjective

mal

1. bad

Related terms

• mau

Latvian

Verb

mal

1. inflection of malt:
   1. second-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Lombard

Etymology

Akin to Italian male, from Latin malus.

Adjective

mal

1. bad

Mangas

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /māl/

Noun

mal

1. 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

1. Alternative form of male

Adjective

mal

1. Alternative form of male

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French mal.

Noun

mal m (plural maulx)

1. bad act

Descendants

• French: mal
  • → English: mal

Adjective

mal m (feminine singular male or malle, masculine plural maulx, feminine plural males or malles)

1. bad; evil

Descendants

• French: mal

Adverb

mal

1. evilly; badly; poorly

Descendants

• French: mal

Middle Welsh

Noun

mal

1. tax

Miraya Bikol

Etymology

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

Adjective

mal

1. expensive

   Antonym: barato

Norman

Etymology

From Old French mal, from Latin male.

Adverb

mal

1. (Guernsey) badly

Adjective

mal

1. (Guernsey) bad

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

From Proto-Iranian *dmáHnaH.

Noun

mal f

1. home
2. family, dynasty, house

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Dutch mal.

Noun

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

1. a template

Etymology 2

Verb

mal

1. 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)

1. a template

Etymology 2

Verb

mal

1. imperative of mala

References

• “mal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Alternative forms

• maal

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *mailą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑːl/

Noun

māl n

1. mole (spot on the skin)
2. mark, spot

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	māl	māl
accusative	māl	māl
genitive	māles	māla
dative	māle	mālum

Descendants

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

Etymology 2

Noun

māl n

1. a suit, legal case, prosecution, defense

Derived terms

• friþmāl
• wiþermāl

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “mál”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[4], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old French

Etymology 1

From Latin male.

Adverb

mal

1. evilly
2. 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)

1. evil
2. pain, suffering

Descendants

• Middle French: mal
  • French: mal
    • → English: mal

Adjective

mal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular male, comparative peior, superlative peior)

1. bad (undesirable; not good)

Descendants

• Middle French: mal
  • French: mal
    • → English: mal

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin male (“badly; wrongly”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmal/
• Rhymes: -al

Adverb

mal

1. 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

1. bad (negative)
2. 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^(key): /mal/

Noun

mal f (Perso-Arabic spelling مل)

1. goats

Inflection

i-decl (Obl): -í

References

• Henrik Liljegren, Naseem Haider (2011) “mal”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[5], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmaw/ [ˈmaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmal/ [ˈmaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmal/ [ˈmaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /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)

1. 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.

2. (preceding verbs) hardly; barely

   Ele mal consegue estudar com todo este barulho.

   He can hardly study with all this noise.

3. wrong (incorrect)

   A resposta está mal.

   The answer is wrong.

4. unfavourably (in an unfavourable manner)

   Penso mal de ti.

   I think unfavourably of you.

   Ele fala mal de ti.

   He speaks unfavourably of you.

5. (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

1. 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)

1. (uncountable) evil (malevolent forces or behaviour)

   As forças do mal cercaram o castelo.

   The forces of evil sieged the castle.

2. harm

   Ela não fez por mal.

   She meant no harm.

   Não faz mal.

   No problem. (It does not matter.)

3. malady (any ailment or disease, especially a lingering one)

   mal de Parkinson

   Parkinson'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

1. (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)

1. shore

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	mal	malul		maluri	malurile
genitive-dative	mal	malului		maluri	malurilor
vocative	malule			malurilor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mâːl/

Adjective

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

1. small

Declension

positive indefinite forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		mal	mala	malo
genitive		mala	male	mala
dative		malu	maloj	malu
accusative	inanimate animate	mal mala	malu	malo
vocative		mal	mala	malo
locative		malu	maloj	malu
instrumental		malim	malom	malim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		mali	male	mala
genitive		malih	malih	malih
dative		malim(a)	malim(a)	malim(a)
accusative		male	male	mala
vocative		mali	male	mala
locative		malim(a)	malim(a)	malim(a)
instrumental		malim(a)	malim(a)	malim(a)

positive definite forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		mali	mala	malo
genitive		malog(a)	male	malog(a)
dative		malom(u/e)	maloj	malom(u/e)
accusative	inanimate animate	mali malog(a)	malu	malo
vocative		mali	mala	malo
locative		malom(e/u)	maloj	malom(e/u)
instrumental		malim	malom	malim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		mali	male	mala
genitive		malih	malih	malih
dative		malim(a)	malim(a)	malim(a)
accusative		male	male	mala
vocative		mali	male	mala
locative		malim(a)	malim(a)	malim(a)
instrumental		malim(a)	malim(a)	malim(a)

comparative forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		manji	manja	manje
genitive		manjeg(a)	manje	manjeg(a)
dative		manjem(u)	manjoj	manjem(u)
accusative	inanimate animate	manji manjeg(a)	manju	manje
vocative		manji	manja	manje
locative		manjem(u)	manjoj	manjem(u)
instrumental		manjim	manjom	manjim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		manji	manje	manja
genitive		manjih	manjih	manjih
dative		manjim(a)	manjim(a)	manjim(a)
accusative		manje	manje	manja
vocative		manji	manje	manja
locative		manjim(a)	manjim(a)	manjim(a)
instrumental		manjim(a)	manjim(a)	manjim(a)

superlative forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		najmanji	najmanja	najmanje
genitive		najmanjeg(a)	najmanje	najmanjeg(a)
dative		najmanjem(u)	najmanjoj	najmanjem(u)
accusative	inanimate animate	najmanji najmanjeg(a)	najmanju	najmanje
vocative		najmanji	najmanja	najmanje
locative		najmanjem(u)	najmanjoj	najmanjem(u)
instrumental		najmanjim	najmanjom	najmanjim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		najmanji	najmanje	najmanja
genitive		najmanjih	najmanjih	najmanjih
dative		najmanjim(a)	najmanjim(a)	najmanjim(a)
accusative		najmanje	najmanje	najmanja
vocative		najmanji	najmanje	najmanja
locative		najmanjim(a)	najmanjim(a)	najmanjim(a)
instrumental		najmanjim(a)	najmanjim(a)	najmanjim(a)

Related terms

• màlen

Further reading

• “mal”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mal]

Participle

mal

1. masculine singular l-participle of mať

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /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)

1. (before the noun) Apocopic form of malo bad; evil
2. 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)

1. badly, poorly, ill

   No hables mal de los muertos.

   Don't speak ill of the dead.

   Qué mal.

   Too bad. / That's too bad.

2. awry, amiss, wrong, wrongly

   Tu plan maestro salió mal bastante rápido

   Your master plan went awry pretty quickly.

3. 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

 

Noun

mal m (plural males)

1. evil, harm; a bad thing or situation

   de mal en peor ― from bad to worse

2. 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)

3. 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 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 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28

Swedish

en mal (sense 1)

en mal (sense 2)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /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

2. moth
4. wels catfish, Silurus glanis

Declension

Declension of mal

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	mal	mals
	definite	malen	malens
plural	indefinite	malar	malars
	definite	malarna	malarnas

See also

• fjäril c
• larv c
• nattfjäril c

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mal

1. inflection of mala:
   1. imperative
   2. 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^(key): /ˈmɑɫ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mal

Noun

mal (definite accusative malı, plural mallar or (dated) emval)

1. cattle
2. goods, property
3. asset
4. (economy) merchandise
5. (law) goods, commodity
6. (colloquial, derogatory) (no equivalent expression; likely) an expendable or ignorable stupid and annoying person, douche, prick
7. (slang, vulgar) a prostitute
8. (slang) heroin

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	mal
Definite accusative	malı
	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

1. expensive

   Antonym: barato

Woleaian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaɾ/

Noun

mal

1. bird

Zou

Mal.

Noun

mal

1. thigh

References

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