Maléfique

Part of Speech

noun

Difficulty Level

Translations

🇩🇪 bösartig oder schädlich , 🇪🇸 malicioso o perjudicial , 🇮🇹 malvagio o nocivo , 🇵🇹 malicioso ou prejudicial , 🇨🇳 邪恶的 , 🇯🇵 悪意を持つ者、害を与える者 , 🇰🇷 악의적이거나 해로운 것 , 🇸🇦 ضار أو ضار بالآخرين , 🇮🇳 दुष्ट या हानिकारक

Definition

Usage Examples

Etymology

Maléfique comes from the Latin *maleficium*, a compound of *mal-* “bad” + *facere* “to do”, originally meaning a harmful spell or malicious deed. The term entered Old French as *malefique* (first used as an adjective, but also occasionally a noun referring to an evil person or thing) and survived into modern French with its current sense of something evil or harmful. Over time the word broadened from specific malicious magic to a general descriptor of malign or detrimental nature.

Synonyms

malveillance malfaisance méchanceté malignité dépravation sinistre nocivité nuisance

Antonyms

bienfaiteur bénédiction charité bénéfice prospérité