Vocabulary List #27

-mal-(Latin root)

bad

1. malady

Example: Doctors were unsure how to diagnose the mysterious malady which caused inflammation in her joints.

Part of speechnoun

Definition:disorder or disease of the body

2. malevolent

Example: Captain Ahab sees Moby Dick not simply as a whale but as a malevolent, evil foe.

Part of speechadjective

Definition:having or showing intense ill will or hatred

3. malicious

Example: The boys didn’t take the apples with any malicious intent; they were just hungry and didn’t know any better.

Part of speechadjective

Definition:desiring to cause pain, injury, or distress to another

4. malign

Example: The comments in the school newspaper maligned the history teacher by criticizing her teaching methods.

Part of speechverb

Definition:to make harsh and often false or misleading

statements

5. malnourished

Example: When they finally found the children in the cabin, they were pale and malnourished.

Part of speech:adjective

Definition:badly or poorly nourished

Academic Vocabulary #27

1. contradict

Example: She contradicted the rumors about her and her boyfriend.

Part of speechverb

Definition:To argue against the truth or correctness of

somebody’s statement or claim

2. excerpt

Example: “The Cyclops” is just an excerpt of the Odyssey.

Part of speechnoun

Definition:a section or passage taken from a longer work such as a book, movie, musical composition, or document