Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Language: Old French
Origin: malignier 'to do evil, deceive', from Late Latin malignari, from Latin malignus; MALIGN2

malign

1 verb
     
ma‧lign1 [transitive usually passive]
to say unpleasant things about someone that are untrue [= slander]:
She had seen herself repeatedly maligned in the newspapers.
a much maligned politician
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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