Etymology Explorer › Italian

Where does “mala” come from?

mala (Italian) comes from Italian malo, from Latin malus, from Ancient Greek μηλέα, from Ancient Greek μῆλον, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₁l- — small animal”; small animal.

mala (Italian): underworld, gangland

Definitions

  1. underworld, gangland

Ancestry of “mala”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianmalobad, evil, wicked; unfit, incompetent, inadequate
2Latinmalusunpleasant, distressing, painful, nasty, bad;...
3Ancient Greekμηλέα—
4Ancient Greekμῆλονapple; any fruit from a tree; a woman's breast
5Proto-Indo-European(s)meh₁l-small animal”; small animal

Words derived from “mala”

  • malalingua
  • malora
  • malaria
  • malaria
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₁l- →