Where does “maltalent” come from?

maltalent (English) comes from Middle English maltalent, from Middle French maltalent, from Old French mautalant, from Old French mal, from Latin malleus, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-no-, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

maltalent (English): Ill will; malice, malevolence

Definitions

  1. Ill will; malice, malevolence

Ancestry of “maltalent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmaltalentill will, malice, anger
2Middle Frenchmaltalentevil intention
3Old Frenchmautalantevil intention
4Old Frenchmalevilly; badly; poorly; evil
5Latinmalleushammer, mallet; a disease of animals; the...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-no-
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey-Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel-Every word from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-