English word origin

Etymology of malus

From Latin malus, by analogy with bonus (“additional compensation”). Doublet of mal.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The loss or return of performance-related compensation originally paid by an employer to an employee as a result of the discovery of a defect in the performance. · A penalty or negative thing.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin malus, by analogy with bonus (“additional compensation”). Doublet of mal.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionmalusla
Doublet mentionmalen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "malus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin malus"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mal"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of mal"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "malus",
      "malus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "bonus",
      "bonus#English"
    ],
    [
      "mal",
      "mal#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The loss or return of performance-related compensation originally paid by an employer to an employee as a result of the discovery of a defect in the performance.",
        "A penalty or negative thing."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "e67c6a8cc7eeb8cb837f838baeddf4ee8f41c2cc80d14529a6c49b9c48f1541f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 401293
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A plant of the genus Malus (the apples).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin mālus and translingual Malus.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionmālusla
Borrowed-form mentionMalusmul

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "mālus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin mālus"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mul",
        "3": "Malus"
      },
      "expansion": "translingual Malus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mālus",
      "malus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Malus",
      "Malus#Translingual"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A plant of the genus Malus (the apples)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "47064900f57cb7e6cb0e75a3e8a550d7503e497a0f00a9aadc543936e239ab12",
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for malus →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bWFsdXM