Malefactour

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who performs wicked or criminal acts against others or against the law
2. Someone guilty of an evil deed, offense or serious breach of moral or legal conduct
3. An individual who does harm through lawbreaking or wrongful behavior toward other people

Etymology: "Malefactour" is simply an older spelling of "malefactor," and the spelling tells the story. It came into Middle English from Late Latin "malefactor," a word built from "male," meaning "evilly" or "badly," joined to "factus," the past participle of "facio," "to make or do." Put together, the parts literally describe someone who has done evil. The Latin root "facio" is one of the most productive in English. It gives us "fact," "factory," "manufacture," and "effect," all of which trace back to the idea of making or doing. The "male" element is the same root that appears in "malady" and "malice," so the word is a deliberate pairing of "badly" with "done," which explains why a malefactor is defined by his deeds rather than his character alone.