malevolent
/məˈlɛvələnt/
adjective
Origin
Latin
malevolens — ill-wishing
Overview
Meaning Now
- having or showing a wish to do evil to others
- malignant or productive of harm
Literal older meaning
wishing ill
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
malevolent
Earliest period
late 15th century
Journey
The term originates from the combination of 'mal-' (bad) and 'velle' (to wish). In early usage, it was often applied to the influence of celestial bodies in astrology, where certain planets were considered 'malevolent' if their positions were thought to portend misfortune.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
malevolus
“ill-disposed”
- Classical Latin
malevolens
“wishing evil”
participle of malle + velle
- Late 15th Century English
malevolent
“wishing evil or harm”
Direct loan from Latin
Connections
Word parts
mal-
prefix
bad, ill
vol-
root
wish, will
-ent
suffix
forming adjectives from present participles
Related across languages
French
malveillant
malevolent, spiteful
Spanish
malevolente
malevolent
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Related to malevolent
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.