Etymograph

English

malocclusion

Malocclusion comes from Latin male ‘cruelly, wickedly’, and goes back to malus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmalus‘bad, wicked’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmale‘cruelly, wickedly’
  3. Englishtodaymalocclusion

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmalus‘bad, wicked’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmale‘cruelly, wickedly’
  3. Englishtodaymalocclusion

first attested First attested in 1888 (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested in 1888. Formed as mal- (“wrong”, “improper(ly)”: ultimately from the Classical Latin male, “badly”, “wrongly”; from malus, “bad”; compare the ben- element in benocclusion) + occlusion (‘alignment of the teeth in closed jaws’).

Every English word from Latin malus

Today it means

noun A misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin malus / malocclusion

Shirt and support for this word