Root of the Week: MAL (Wednesday)

Malefactor (Noun),  Malice (noun), Malicious (adjective), Malevolent, (adjective) Malevolence (Noun)

Evil, wicked, spiteful: these are the characteristics of a malefactor. In Latin, facere means “to do,” so a malefactor is an evil-doer. Such villains act with malice, a desire to cause harm. Malicious gossip, for example, is gossip intended to destroy a person’s reputation or peace of mind. People who spread malicious gossip are malevolent: in Latin, voluntas means “will,” so malevolence means “ill will.”