Where does “malformed” come from?
Malformed derives from Old French mal- combined with English formed, tracing back through Latin male (badly) and malus (bad) to Proto-Indo-European roots including melH₂- and mel-.
malformed (English): Not formed correctly; misshapen; deformed
Definitions
- Not formed correctly; misshapen; deformed
Ancestry of “malformed”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mal- | bad, badly as in maladjusted, malcontent -... |
| 2 | Old French | mal- | bad; badly |
| 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 |