English
malapropos
Malapropos comes from French mal à propos ‘inappropriately’, from mal ‘bad, badly’, and ultimately from propos ‘appropriate, relevant’.
- Frenchc. 1600–presentpropos‘appropriate, relevant’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmal‘bad, badly’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmal à propos‘inappropriately’
- Englishtodaymalapropos
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Frenchc. 1600–presentpropos‘appropriate, relevant’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmal‘bad, badly’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmal à propos‘inappropriately’
- Englishtodaymalapropos
Linked words
through French mal ‘bad, badly’
Today it means
adj out of place; inappropriate
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / French propos / malapropos