mal-prefix

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman, Old French mal-, adverbial prefix (earlier also mau-; represented in English loans in combinations with verbs, e.g. maltreat; in nouns of action formed from such combinations, e.g. malfeasance; and in combinations with adjectives, where the prefix reverses the favourable sense of the word, e.g. maladroit, malcontent) < classical Latin male ill, badly < malus bad, of uncertain origin. Compare Old French, Middle French, French mal, adverb; also Old French, Middle French mal, adjective ( < classical Latin malus; formally developed from a reduced form in weakly stressed positions), which also occurs as a prefix (compare maltalent). Classical Latin male occurs also as the first element in a number of formations, several of which occur as loans in English and frequently also in French (compare malediction, malefactor, maleficence).English formations are found from 16th cent. or perhaps slightly earlier (compare malapert n., adj., and adv., malfortune n.). In English compounds, the form male-, although it follows the spelling of the disyllabic classical Latin prefix, appears generally to have been pronounced as a monosyllable.