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maligno

malignant, malicious

adjective mah-LEE-nyoh Rare

Origin: From Latin malignus (evil-natured).

Also means

evil, wicked

Usage Note

Maligno is used in both medical contexts (tumore maligno = malignant tumour) and everyday speech to describe a malicious or wicked person. As a noun, il maligno is a literary term for the Devil. Do not confuse with malizioso (mischievous, sly), which is milder.

Examples

"I medici hanno scoperto un tumore maligno."

Natural Translation

Doctors discovered a malignant tumour.

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