I. ma ‧ lign 1 /məˈlaɪn/ BrE AmE verb [transitive usually passive]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: malignier 'to do evil, deceive' , from Late Latin malignari , from Latin malignus ; ⇨ ↑ malign 2 ]
to say unpleasant things about someone that are untrue SYN slander :
She had seen herself repeatedly maligned in the newspapers.
a much maligned politician
II. malign 2 BrE AmE adjective formal
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: maligne , from Latin malignus , from male 'badly' + gigni 'to be born' ]
harmful OPP benign :
a malign influence