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ma·lef·ic (mə-lĕfĭk)
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adj.
1. Having or exerting a malignant influence.
2. Causing evil or harm: “Meth appears to be the most malefic drug of them all” (David Sheff).
[Latin maleficus : male, ill; see mel-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + -ficus, -fic.]
ma·lefi·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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