Etymology of the English word malevolent
the English word
malevolentderived from the Latin word
malevolens (spiteful, malevolent; ill-disposed)
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-Date
The earliest known usage of malevolent in English dates from the 16th century.
Usage
Word found in Modern English
