Mal- (măl-).
A prefix in composition denoting ill, or evil,
F. male, adv., fr.
malus, bad, ill. In some words it
has the form male-, as in malediction, malevolent. See Malice. &fist;
The form male- is chiefly used in cases where the e, either alone or with
other letters, is pronounced as a separate syllable, as in malediction, malefactor, maleficent, etc.
Where this is not the case, as in
malfeasance or male-feasance, malformation or male-formation, etc., as also where
the word to
which it is
prefixed commences with a vowel, as in
maladministration, etc., the
form mal is to be
preferred, and is the one commonly employed.
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