malinger
verb /məˈlɪŋɡə(r)/
/məˈlɪŋɡər/
(usually be malingering)
[intransitive] (disapproving)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they malinger | /məˈlɪŋɡə(r)/ /məˈlɪŋɡər/ |
| he / she / it malingers | /məˈlɪŋɡəz/ /məˈlɪŋɡərz/ |
| past simple malingered | /məˈlɪŋɡəd/ /məˈlɪŋɡərd/ |
| past participle malingered | /məˈlɪŋɡəd/ /məˈlɪŋɡərd/ |
| -ing form malingering | /məˈlɪŋɡərɪŋ/ /məˈlɪŋɡərɪŋ/ |
- to pretend to be ill, especially in order to avoid workWord Originearly 19th cent.: back-formation from malingerer, apparently from French malingre, perhaps formed as mal- ‘wrongly’ + haingre ‘weak’, probably of Germanic origin.