Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “male” come from?

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

male (Latin): badly; wrongly; cruelly, wickedly

Definitions

  1. badly; wrongly; cruelly, wickedly

Ancestry of “male”, step by step

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

Words derived from “male”

  • malaria
  • malnutrition
  • malpractice
  • mal
  • malevolent
  • malaise
  • maltreatment
  • malformation
  • maladaptive
  • malfunction
  • mallet
  • Mallet
  • malevolence
  • malarial
  • malabsorption
  • malfeasance
  • malefactor
  • malformed
  • malediction
  • malarious
  • maladjustment
  • malodorous
  • maladministration
  • antimalarial
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₁l- →