📖 M — The English dictionary · page 6

malayalam — Everyday, meaning 1: (a language) Malayalam is a language spoken by about 35 million people, mainly in the state of Kerala in south-west India.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The alphabet (script) used to write that language, with rounded letters.↗ Example: My friend Anu speaks Malayalam with her grandparents.↗ · Malayalam is the main language of Kerala in India.↗ · Malayalam has its own script with curly letters.↗ · «Malayalam» is a palindrome: it reads the same backwards.↗ · There is a Malayalam film festival in our city.↗ · Malayalam and Tamil are related languages.↗ · We learned to say «hello» in Malayalam: «namaskaram».↗ · Many nurses in Ireland come from Kerala and speak Malayalam.↗

malayan — Everyday, meaning 1: To do with Malaya, the old name for the land on the Malay Peninsula that later became part of Malaysia.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (animals) Found in the Malay Peninsula region, as in the Malayan tiger, Malayan tapir or Malayan sun bear.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (old use) A person from Malaya.↗ Example: The Malayan tiger is endangered.↗ · The Malayan tapir is black with a white middle.↗ · Malaya became independent in 1957.↗ · Grandad served in the Malayan Emergency.↗ · The Malayan sun bear is the smallest bear in the world.↗ · Malayan rubber was shipped all over the world.↗

male — Everyday, meaning 1: Belonging to the sex that cannot give birth or lay eggs; in animals, the one that makes sperm: «a male lion».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun) A male person, animal or plant.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (of a plug or part) Having a part that fits into a hole.↗ Example: The male lion has a big mane.↗ · A male seahorse carries the babies.↗ · The male peacock has a beautiful tail.↗ · Most of the birds we saw were males.↗ · Fill in the form: male or female.↗ · The stamen is the male part of a flower.↗ · As a male divinity he is more particularly the god of shepherds and flocks.↗ · one male of the goats for a sin-offering; (Torah NUM.7.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Every male among the priests may eat thereof; it is most holy.↗ (Torah LEV.6.29, JPS 1917)↗ · Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.↗ (Torah EXO.23.17, JPS 1917)↗ · And of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur; and with him seventy males.↗ (Writings EZR.8.14, JPS 1917)↗ · Of the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel; and with him three hundred males.↗ (Writings EZR.8.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah; and with him two hundred males.↗ (Writings EZR.8.4, JPS 1917)↗

malevolent — Everyday, meaning 1: Wanting to do harm or evil to others; full of hate and spite.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (in stories) Seeming evil and threatening: «a malevolent stare».↗ Example: The malevolent witch wanted to poison the princess.↗ · A malevolent grin spread across the villain's face.↗ · The old house had a malevolent feeling, as if something was watching.↗ · The dragon gave him a malevolent stare.↗ · In the story, a malevolent spirit haunted the mill.↗ · He wasn't malevolent, just careless.↗ · The storm clouds looked malevolent and dark.↗ · Benevolent kings help people; malevolent ones harm them.↗ · Before taking leave of the Baba Yaga, we may glance at a malevolent monster, who seems to be her male counterpart.↗

malfunction — Everyday, meaning 1: A failure of a machine or system to work properly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To stop working correctly: the traffic lights malfunctioned.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) A fault in how part of the body works.↗ Example: The lift had a malfunction and stopped between floors.↗ · Our printer keeps malfunctioning.↗ · A computer malfunction delayed the flights.↗ · If the smoke alarm malfunctions, tell an adult.↗ · The robot malfunctioned and spun in circles.↗ · The rocket launch was stopped because of a malfunction.↗ · The traffic lights malfunctioned during the storm.↗ · Engineers found the cause of the malfunction.↗

malice — Everyday, meaning 1: Malice is the wish to hurt someone or make bad things happen to them.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law) Malice is the intention to do harm when breaking the law.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Malice can also mean playful teasing that is not really meant to be unkind.↗ Example: The witch looked at the princess with malice.↗ · He broke the toy by accident, not out of malice.↗ · There was no malice in her joke.↗ · The bully acted with malice.↗ · «Malice aforethought» is an old legal phrase.↗ · Gossip can be full of malice.↗

malicious — Everyday, meaning 1: Malicious means wanting to hurt someone or do harm on purpose.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A malicious act, word or rumour is one meant to harm or upset someone.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (computers) Malicious software or a malicious link is made to damage a computer or steal information.↗ Example: The witch gave a malicious smile and locked the door.↗ · Someone spread a malicious rumour that Tom had cheated.↗ · Don't open emails from strangers; they may contain malicious links.↗ · The website was attacked by malicious software.↗ · It was an accident, not a malicious act.↗ · (formal) The court found that the damage to the car was malicious.↗ · Her malicious comments made the new girl cry.↗ · Their only neighbor was a bad and malicious badger.↗

maliciously — Everyday, meaning 1: Maliciously means in a spiteful way, wanting to hurt or upset someone.↗ Example: At this Carabosse laughed maliciously.↗ · The boy maliciously hid his sister's shoes.↗

malignant — Everyday, meaning 1: Malignant means evil and wishing harm to others.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Malignant also means an illness that is growing and dangerous, such as a cancer.↗ Old use in the first sense.↗ Example: In one of the stories a malignant witch is destroyed by a kind fairy.↗ · The witch was malignant and cruel.↗ · then the priest shall come in and look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a malignant leprosy in the house: it is unclean.↗ (Torah LEV.14.44, JPS 1917)↗

malik — Everyday, meaning 1: Malik is a name, used as a first name or a family name in many Muslim, Arab and South Asian families (a name).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In Arabic, Urdu and some other languages, «malik» means «king» or «owner, master»; it is not an English word.↗ Example: My friend Malik plays goalkeeper.↗ · Mrs Malik is our new head teacher.↗ · In Arabic, «malik» means «king».↗ · Malik and his sister walk to school together.↗ · Muslims call God «Al-Malik», which means «the King».↗ · Malik wrote a story about a dragon.↗

malinois — Everyday, meaning 1: A breed of Belgian Shepherd dog with short fawn fur and a dark face, very clever and full of energy.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: It is often trained as a police, army or search-and-rescue dog.↗ Example: The police dog was a Belgian Malinois.↗ · A Malinois needs a lot of exercise every day.↗ · The Malinois found the lost hiker in the woods.↗ · Malinois look a bit like small German Shepherds.↗ · Army Malinois are trained to parachute with soldiers.↗ · Our neighbour's Malinois can jump very high.↗

mall — Everyday, meaning 1: A large building or group of buildings with many shops, restaurants and sometimes a cinema, often with a car park (shopping mall).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK) A long, wide street or path for walking, often with trees (The Mall in London).↗ Example: We went to the mall to buy new shoes.↗ · The mall has a food court and a cinema.↗ · If you get lost in the mall, ask a shop assistant for help.↗ · Let's meet at the fountain in the middle of the mall.↗ · The mall is very busy before the holidays.↗ · In London, The Mall leads to Buckingham Palace.↗ · We bought a book at the mall for 12 dollars.↗

mallard — Everyday, meaning 1: A mallard is the most common wild duck; the male (drake) has a shiny green head, a white ring round the neck and a grey body, and the female is speckled brown.↗ Example: A mallard swam across the pond.↗ · The male mallard has a bright green head.↗ · The female mallard is brown so she is hidden on the nest.↗ · Mallard ducklings followed their mother in a line.↗ · Don't feed the mallards bread — give them peas or oats instead.↗ · The steam engine Mallard is the fastest steam locomotive.↗

malleable — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) Able to be hammered, pressed or bent into a new shape without breaking, like gold, copper or clay.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Easily changed or influenced by other people: «young minds are malleable».↗ Example: Gold is so malleable it can be hammered thinner than paper.↗ · Metals are malleable, but glass is brittle.↗ · Clay is malleable when it is wet.↗ · Aluminium foil shows that aluminium is malleable.↗ · A blacksmith heats iron to make it more malleable.↗ · Plasticine is malleable, so you can shape it easily.↗ · Young children's ideas can be quite malleable.↗ · We tested which materials were malleable by gently hitting them with a hammer.↗

mallet — Everyday, meaning 1: A hammer with a big head made of wood, rubber or plastic, used to hit things without damaging them.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A long-handled stick used to hit the ball in croquet or polo.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (music) A stick with a soft or hard head used to play a xylophone or drum.↗ Example: Dad used a rubber mallet to knock in the tent pegs.↗ · The carpenter tapped the joint with a wooden mallet.↗ · In croquet you hit the ball with a long mallet.↗ · I played the xylophone with two soft mallets.↗ · Polo players swing their mallets while riding horses.↗ · Use the mallet, not a metal hammer, so the wood isn't dented.↗ · The judge in a cartoon bangs a little mallet called a gavel.↗ · Keep your fingers away when someone is using the mallet.↗ · Uncle Remus had a board across his lap, and, armed with a mallet and a shoe-knife, was engaged in making shoe-pegs.↗

mallow — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A plant with soft leaves that can be eaten, though it has little taste.↗ Example: Can that which hath no savour be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the juice of mallows?↗ (Writings JOB.6.6, JPS 1917)↗

malpractice — Everyday, meaning 1: (law) When a doctor, lawyer or other professional does their job very badly or carelessly, and someone is harmed because of it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Wrong or dishonest behaviour in a job, such as cheating in exams or misusing money.↗ Example: Taking a phone into an exam counts as malpractice.↗ · The hospital investigated a case of malpractice.↗ · The doctor was sued for malpractice after the wrong operation.↗ · Exam malpractice can mean losing all your marks for that subject.↗ · The lawyer was accused of malpractice for losing the client's money.↗ · Our teacher read out the rules about exam malpractice.↗ · Most doctors are very careful, and malpractice is rare.↗ · Copying from a friend's paper is malpractice.↗

malt — Everyday, meaning 1: Malt is barley or other grain that has been soaked, dried and treated so that it can be used to make beer or whisky.↗ Example: The cat and the mouse played in the malt-house.↗ · Beer is brewed from malt and hops.↗

mam — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, UK – Wales, the north of England; Ireland) Mother; another word for «mum» or «mam».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Sometimes a spelling of «ma'am» (madam), a polite way to speak to a woman, especially in the USA.↗ Example: «Mam, can I go out to play?»↗ · My mam makes the best soup in Cardiff.↗ · «Me mam says I have to be home by six,» said Liam.↗ · Our mam works at the hospital.↗ · «Thank you, ma'am,» said the boy to the lady at the shop.↗ · When I fell over, I shouted for my mam.↗

mama — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, child's word) Mama is a word for mother, often used by young children or in families; it is one of the first words babies say.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, US) «Mama» or «momma» is used as an everyday word for mum.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang) «Mama» can be a friendly or flirty word for a woman, and «big mama» means a large or powerful woman.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (French, Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian, Mandarin and many other languages) «mama» or «mamá» or «māma» also means mother in many languages, because babies easily say «ma-ma»; in Ukrainian «мама» (mama) is the everyday word for mum.↗ Example: The baby's first word was «mama».↗ · «Mama, can I have a biscuit?»↗ · In the story, Mama Bear's porridge was too cold.↗ · (Ukrainian) «Мама» (mama) means mum in Ukrainian.↗ · (Mandarin) «māma» means mum in Chinese.↗ · (informal) He's a real mama's boy who does everything his mum says.↗ · «Mamma mia!» shouted the chef when the pizza burned.↗ · My friend calls her mother Mama, and I call mine Mum.↗ · Mama purchased thirty copies of the paper, that she might cut out the paragraph and send it to friends and acquaintances.↗

mamba — Everyday, meaning 1: A mamba is a fast, very venomous snake from Africa.↗ There are black mambas and green mambas.↗ Example: The black mamba lives in Africa.↗ · A mamba's bite is very dangerous.↗ · The green mamba lives in trees.↗ · The mamba slid quickly into the grass.↗ · Black mambas are actually grey or brown.↗ · We saw a mamba behind glass at the zoo.↗

mamma — Everyday, meaning 1: Mamma is an old-fashioned word for mother, used by young children.↗ Also used in tales as a childlike word for mother.↗ Example: Mamma, can I have a drink?↗ · Grand-mamma, what great arms you have got!↗

mammal — Everyday, meaning 1: A mammal is an animal that has hair or fur, breathes air and feeds its babies with milk.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Most mammals give birth to live babies instead of laying eggs.↗ Example: Dogs, horses and people are all mammals.↗ · A whale is a mammal, not a fish.↗ · Mammals feed their babies with milk.↗ · The blue whale is the largest mammal ever.↗ · Bats are the only mammals that can fly.↗ · The platypus is a mammal that lays eggs.↗ · Mammals have hair or fur.↗ · A kangaroo is a mammal that carries its baby in a pouch.↗