malefic
/məˈlɛfɪk
/adjective
1 literary Causing harm or destruction, especially by supernatural means: she was hypnotized by the spider’s malefic eyes...
- This suggests that the sexual aspect of the narratives was largely a trope for the strong desires that were central to both malefic witchcraft and the Evil Eye.
- At the film's climax, the malefic priest responsible for all this mischief sets his sights on the last woman in Hong Kong.
- She looked at me with coldness - the ignorant one, the fool who had passed by in the night, a person no more, malefic, absurd.
1.1 Astrology Relating to the planets Saturn and Mars, traditionally considered to have an unfavourable influence.Firmicus follows Manilius, adding that if malefic planets are in aspect, the native is reduced to being a door-keeper, admitting and saluting guests....
- Unless a malefic planet indicates otherwise, then one is thought to live the entire period indicated by the alchochoden.
- If a malefic planet is in this place they will be struck by sudden blindness.
Derivatives
maleficence
/ noun ...- Allen Buchanan and his coauthors expand the ethical concept of maleficence successfully and persuasively argue that to do no harm is a highest-order value.
- When amassed, these memory cloths become a collective indictment of the maleficence of that system.
- Spreading the liability for maleficences to newly impressed taxpayers through involuntary annexation is not the answer.
maleficent
/ adjective ...- Terrible paranoiac fear gripped me, and behind every tree I suspected maleficent laughter being muffled.
- Therefore the only thing to do is participate in the life of nature, which is consequently to succumb to its maleficent mercy.
- My maleficent contemporary evidently only knew beatings and degradation.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin maleficus, from male 'ill' + -ficus 'doing'.