Where does “mal” come from?
mal (Spanish) comes from Latin male, from Latin malus, from Ancient Greek μηλέα, from Ancient Greek μῆλον, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₁l- — small animal”; small animal.
mal (Spanish): Apocopic form of malo bad; evil; amiss, awry,...
Definitions
- Apocopic form of malo bad; evil; amiss, awry,...
Ancestry of “mal”, step by step
mal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin male
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | male | badly; wrongly; cruelly, wickedly |
| 2 | Latin | malus | unpleasant, distressing, painful, nasty, bad;... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | μηλέα | apple tree |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μῆλον | apple; any fruit from a tree; a woman's breast |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meh₁l- | small animal”; small animal |
via Old Spanish mal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Spanish | mal | — |