Etymologically
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malitiose

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Forms

malitiōsē (comparative malitiōsius)[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin malitiōsus (“wicked, malicious”) + -ē.[1] The adjective is formed from malitia (“wickedness”), from malus1 (“bad”);[1][3] for that word de Vaan reports Ernout and Meillet's comparison with Old Irish mell (“destruction”) and Ancient Greek μέλεος (méleos, “idle; unhappy”), under Proto-Indo-European *mol-o- (“bad”), which he finds semantically fine but uncertain.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Conte cites it from Plautus (c. 250–184 BC), in the Casina.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It means with evil intent, maliciously or in bad faith;[6][2][1] Georges and Conte cite it from Cicero and Nepos, and the comparative malitiōsius is found.[6][2][1] It lived on in Medieval Latin: British writers and records use it of treating someone maliciously, of envying good people, and, in a manor record of 1292, of a man who maliciously assaulted his stepmother.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it in the Casina.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[6][5]
  • c. 100–24 BC – Nepos uses it.[6][2][5]
  • 1292 – An English manor record uses it of a malicious assault.[7]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. With evil intent, maliciously; knavishly, in bad faith.[1][6][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press