maligne

Forms

malignē (comparative malignius); adverb^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin malignus (“mean, unkind”) + -ē.^[1][2] De Vaan lists malignus among the derivatives of malus (“bad”), from Plautus on.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first quotation is in Plautus: in the Stichus a man says he would not have invited the others home grudgingly.^[1][2]

Semantic evolution

It is first grudgingly or meanly, then scantily or poorly: Catullus says things had not gone so poorly for him that he could not find eight men with straight backs.^[1] Livy has speaking abusively and spitefully, and the OLD also records the sense so as to do harm.^[1] Church Latin glosses it wickedly, maliciously, enviously.^[4] Köbler dates it from Catullus.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of inviting grudgingly.^[1][2]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus of faring poorly.^[1][2]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of speaking spitefully.^[1][2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Grudgingly, meanly.^[1]
2. Scantily, poorly, insufficiently.^[1]
3. Ill-naturedly, spitefully, maliciously; harmfully.^[1][4]

Related words

• malignus
• malus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson