malign

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The Word of the Day for October 14 is: 

malign   \muh-LYNE\   verb
          : to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about : speak evil 
of

Example sentence:
      Critics have relentlessly maligned the mayor since rumors of bribery 
surfaced, even though she has successfully revitalized the downtown shopping 
district.

Did you know?
          When a word's got "mal-" in it, it's no good. That prefix traces to 
the Latin word “malus” (which means "bad”), and it puts the negative vibes in 
"malign" and a host of other English words. You can see it in "malpractice" 
(bad medical practice) and "malady" (a bad condition, such as a disease or 
illness, of the body or mind). A "malefactor" is someone guilty of bad deeds, 
and “malice” is a desire to cause injury, pain, or distress to another person. 
Other "mal-" formed words include "malaise," "malcontent," "maladroit," 
"malodorous," and "malnourished."





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