Malice
Etymology
From Latin "malitia" (badness, ill will), from "malus" (bad, evil). The word keeps the plain, unadorned sense of its root: badness pointed at someone.
noun · /MAL-is/
The active desire to do harm or see harm done to another.
What it names
Names ill will as a settled intent — the engine behind deliberate wrongdoing, hence its weight in law ("malice aforethought").
Example
The letter was written without malice, but its careless phrasing wounded her all the same.
Related idea
Spite is petty and self-wounding; malice is broader and colder — the general wish for another’s harm regardless of one’s own stake.
noun · /MAL-is/
In law, the intention to do a wrongful act, distinct from everyday ill will.
What it names
wrongful intent as a legal standard
Example
‘Malice aforethought’ is the deliberate intent that separates murder from manslaughter.
Related idea
Need not involve personal hatred, only wrongful intent; compare justice.