SOURCE 01supportshistorical dictionary
Mal- — Definition and Word History
Publishes the separate bad family.
Etymology: mal- from Latin malus, bad- AUTHOR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster Editors
- YEAR
- 2026
- PUBLISHER
- Merriam-Webster
PERMANENT DISPUTE RECORD
ALL DISPUTES ↗CLAIM / COUNTERCLAIM / LIMITRECORD 268
DISPUTE
RECORD.
One scholarly question. Every attached source. The present editorial state, without pretending the last word has been written.
resolvedestablished
Does male come from mal-, bad?
No. Male comes through French from Latin masculus and mās; mal- comes from a different Latin family headed by malus, bad.
WORD UNDER REVIEWDISPUTE 268
male
/meɪl/ · noun and adjective
A sex-class term borrowed through Anglo-French from Latin masculus, a diminutive formation on mās.
01
DIRECT CLAIM EVIDENCE
2 SOURCES WITH A STANCE
A citation is not a vote. Each record says whether the work supports, challenges, contradicts, or contextualizes the position—and identifies the exact locus used.
SOURCE 02supportshistorical dictionary
Male — Definition, Word History, and First Known Use
Publishes the actual male lineage.
Etymology: masculus from mās- AUTHOR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster Editors
- YEAR
- 2026
- PUBLISHER
- Merriam-Webster
02 / EDITORIAL STATE
THE CURRENT RECORD IS RESOLVED.
- CONFIDENCE
- established
- STATUS
- resolved
- LEGACY SOURCE SUMMARY
- Merriam-Webster publishes the two independent histories.
The graph has no mal- ancestry edge.