Maleficent

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /məˈlɛf.ɪ.sənt/

Definitions

1. Causing harm or evil through supernatural or magical means; wishing or intending to do ill toward others
2. Producing harm or wicked effects through magic or supernatural forces ; having a desire or intention to bring about evil to others
3. Exerting harmful influence with magical or mystical power ; showing deliberate ill will or malicious intent towards someone

Etymology: Maleficent is built from two Latin pieces. "Male" means "badly" or "wrongly," and the second element comes from "faciens," the present participle of "facere," "to make or do." Put together, the Latin "maleficens" literally describes someone who does bad things, and English took the idea over with its sense of wickedness intact. The "-fic" in the middle is the same root that appears in "beneficent," "magnificent" and "sufficient," where "facere" similarly supplies the sense of making or doing. In "maleficent," the prefix flips the usual positive meaning of that root, so the word describes deeds that produce harm rather than good. The adjective's modern dominant association with magic and supernatural power is a later layer on top of the plain Latin sense of doing harm. The core of the word has always been the notion of making bad things happen.

Synonyms: malevolent, wicked, evil, sinister, noxious

Antonyms: benevolent, kind, good, wholesome, friendly