Where does “malefic” come from?
malefic (English) comes from French maléfique, from Latin maleficus, from Latin male, from Latin malus, from Ancient Greek μηλέα, from Ancient Greek μῆλον, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₁l- — small animal”; small animal.
malefic (English): Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful; a...
Definitions
- Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful; a...
Ancestry of “malefic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | maléfique | maleficent, malevolent |
| 2 | Latin | maleficus | wicked, vicious; criminal |
| 3 | Latin | male | badly; wrongly; cruelly, wickedly |
| 4 | Latin | malus | unpleasant, distressing, painful, nasty, bad;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μηλέα | apple tree |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μῆλον | apple; any fruit from a tree; a woman's breast |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meh₁l- | small animal”; small animal |