Descriptionary

malaise n. (muh LAYZ) a physical or mental fatigue and uneasiness, especially stemming from an illness. I went to the doctor about a general malaise I was experiencing, and he said it was probably the start of the flu.

malevolent adj. (muh LEV uh lent) malicious. The

malevolent dictator needed little excuse to punish those who disagreed with him.

malice n. (MAL iss) a desire to hurt others; mali­ciousness. The defendant had apparently harbored great malice toward his victim.

malignant adj. (mal IG nunt) deadly; harmful. Unfortunately, the tumor was found to be malignant.

malingerer n. (mah LIN gur ur) one who tries to get out of work or responsibility, especially by feign­ing illness. One of my employees calls in sick almost every Monday; he is a chronic malingerer and prob­ably should be fired.

malleable adj. (MAL ee uh bul) pliable, moldable; impressionable. Young minds are particularly mallea­ble, so parents must use great care in teaching morals.

mandate n. (MAN dayt) a strong desire by the peo­ple as manifested by an overwhelming vote. The gov­ernor received a clear mandate from the voters to buy more land for conservation.

manifest vb. (MAN uh FEST) to show or make evi­dent. At the seance, the spirit would manifest itself in the shape of a chained prisoner.

manifesto n. (man uh FEST oh) any publicly declared political doctrine, set of beliefs, or inten­tions. In the organization's manifesto was a promise to strive for world peace.

masochist n. (MAS uh kist) one who takes plea­sure, especially sexual, in being physically or verbally abused. A sadist takes pleasure from inflicting pain on others, but the masochist takes pleasure from receiving it.

maternal adj. (muh TURN ul) motherly. Maternal instincts compelled the doe to protect its fawn at any cost.

matriarch n. (MAY tree ark) a mother or a ruler who is a woman. The matriarch of the family was regarded as the highest domestic authority; after all, she ruled over nine children and twenty-seven grandchildren.

maudlin adj. (MAWD lin) tearfully sentimental; sentimental to a laughable or unrealistic degree. The movie tried too hard to tug at viewers' heartstrings; unfortunately, most of the writer's attempts at pathos were merely maudlin.

maxim n. (MAK sim) a basic truth stated in a sim­ple sentence. "All is fair in love and war" is a popular maxim.

mea culpa n. (MAY uh KUL puh) my fault; I am guilty. A Latin expression admitting one's guilt. The cat was locked out all night again? Mea culpa! I acci­dentally broke the pet door last night and forgot to let Morris in.