malin
Albanian
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ma.lɛ̃/
audio (file)
Adjective
malin (feminine maligne or maline, masculine plural malins, feminine plural malignes or malines)
- (obsolete) nocive, pernicious
- (medicine) malignant
- Antonym: bénin
- une tumeur maligne ― a malignant tumor
- (chiefly dated or biblical) malicious, sadistic (which likes to do or say hurtful things for fun)
- Synonym: méchant
- prendre un malin plaisir à faire quelque chose ― to take perverse pleasure in doing something
- (informal) smart and quick-thinking, and often tricksterish; cunning, crafty
- Synonyms: astucieux, fin, intelligent, rusé
- C’est malin ! ― Well done!
- avoir l’air malin ― to look daft, to look silly
- 1982, “Un été sans toi”, performed by Charles Aznavour:
- C’est inhumain / De me laisser seul / J’ai l’air malin / Sous mon parasol
- It's inhuman / To leave me alone / I look silly / Under my umbrella
- (Quebec) aggressive (of an animal); petulant (of a person)
Usage notes
- The standard language uses the feminine maligne. The popular byform maline has existed for centuries, but is considered incorrect in formal writing. In the vernacular, it is predominant especially for the sense “smart, cunning”.
- In its meaning of “malicious” the word is mostly restricted to expressions such as malin plaisir; it is a standard attribute of the Devil.
Derived terms
Derived terms
- à malin, malin et demi
- gros malin (“smart ass”)
- petit malin (“trickster”)
- faire le malin
Further reading
- “malin”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈma.lin/
- Rhymes: -alin
- Syllabification: ma‧lin
- Homophone: Malin
Romanian
Adjective
malin m or n (feminine singular malină, masculine plural malini, feminine and neuter plural maline)
- Alternative form of malign
Declension
Lua error: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.