malady
UK: ˈmælədi | US: ˈmælədi
n. a disease or ailment (often used figuratively for persistent problems)
n. (archaic) a moral or spiritual disorder
malady = mal<bad> + ady<condition>
- mal (from Latin malus, meaning "bad")
- ady (derived from Old French aadie, from Latin habitudinem "condition," later conflated with -adie suffix)
Etymology Origin:
The word "malady" entered English via Old French (maladie), combining Latin malus (bad) with a suffix evolved from habitudinem (condition). Originally, it described physical illness but expanded to metaphorical or moral "ailments" in Middle English. The root mal- appears in many English words (e.g., malice, malignant), consistently conveying negativity.
The doctor diagnosed her with a rare malady.
Greed is often seen as a societal malady.
His chronic fatigue was dismissed as a trivial malady.
The malady spread rapidly through the village.
Shakespeare described jealousy as a "green-eyed malady."