malignus

mălignus, a, um, adj. [for maligenus, malus, and gen-, root of gigno; cf. the opp. benignus], of an evil nature or disposition, ill-disposed, wicked, mischievous, malicious, spiteful, envious, malignant, malign ( poet. and post-Aug.; syn.: invidus, malevolus, parcus).

I.

In gen.:

maligni caupones,

Hor. S. 1, 5, 4:

magnaque numinibus vota exaudita malignis,

unkind, Juv. 10, 111.—

Of inanim. and abstr. things: malignissima capita,

Sen. Vit. Beat. 18:

litus,

Luc. 8, 565:

portus,

id. 5, 651:

leges,

Ov. M. 10, 329:

votum,

Cat. 67, 5:

verba,

Manil. 4, 573:

mente malignā,

Cat. 68, 37:

studia,

Ov. Tr. 4, 1, 101:

vulgus,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 40:

oculi,

Verg. A. 5, 654.—

II.

In partic.

A.

Stingy, niggardly:

malignus, largus,

Plaut. Bacch. 3, 2, 17.—Of favors, Ter. Hec. 1, 2, 84: vagae ne parce malignus arenae ossibus particulam dare, Hor. C. 1, 28, 23.— Trop.:

fama,

Ov. H. 16, 143:

in laudandis dictionibus,

Quint. 2, 2, 6.—

B.

Transf.

1.

Barren, unfruitful:

terra malignior ceteris,

Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 15:

colles,

Verg. G. 2, 179.—

2.

Scanty, insufficient, dim, petty, small, narrow:

ostium,

too narrow, Sen. Q. N. 3, 27:

aditus,

Verg. A. 11, 525:

ignis,

Mart. 10, 96, 7:

lux,

Verg. A. 6, 270:

conspecta est parva maligna Unda procul venā,

Luc. 9, 500:

munus,

Plin. 7, 50, 51, § 167.—Hence, adv.: mălignē.

1.

In gen., ill-naturedly, spitefully, enviously, malignantly (not in Cic. or Cæs.):

maledice ac maligne loqui,

Liv. 45, 39.— Comp.:

malignius habitum esse sermonem,

Curt. 8, 1, 8.—

2.

In partic.

a.

Stingily, grudgingly:

ager maligne plebi divisus,

Liv. 8, 12:

famem exstinguere,

sparingly, Sen. Ep. 18, 9: non mihi fuit tam maligne, ut, etc., it has not gone so poorly with me that, etc., Cat. 10, 18:

dispensare,

Sen. Ben. 6, 16, 7:

laudare,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 209.— Comp.:

dicis, malignius tecum egisse naturam,

Sen. Ep. 44, 1.—

b.

Little, scantily:

terra eorum, quae seruntur, maligne admodum patiens,

a very little, Mel. 2, 2:

apertus,

Sen. Ben. 6, 34, 3:

virens,

Plin. 34, 11, 26, § 112.