Etymology of the English word malefic
the English word
maleficderived from the Latin word
maleficus (criminal, wrongdoer; magician; wicked, criminal, nefarious)
derived from the Vulgar Latin word
male (badly, ill, wrongly)
derived from the Latin word
malus (apple tree; bad, evil, wicked; mast; beam; tall pole)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*mel-Usage
Word found in Modern English
