Where does “mal” come from?

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

mal (Old French): evilly; badly; poorly; evil

Definitions

  1. evilly; badly; poorly; evil

Ancestry of “mal”, step by step

mal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin malleus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmalleushammer, mallet; a disease of animals; the...
2Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-no-—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

via Latin malus

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

Words derived from “mal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European melh₂- →