Etymologically
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maligne

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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]

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