From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
malign
adj 1: evil or harmful in nature or influence; "prompted by malign
motives"; "believed in witches and malign spirits";
"gave him a malign look"; "a malign lesion" [ant:
benign]
2: having or exerting a malignant influence; "malevolent
stars"; "a malefic force" [syn: malefic, malevolent,
evil]
v : speak unfavorably about; "She badmouthes her husband
everywhere" [syn: badmouth, traduce, {drag through
the mud}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
malign \ma*lign"\, a. [L. malignus, for maligenus, i. e., of a
bad kind or nature; malus bad + the root of genus birth,
race, kind: cf. F. malin, masc., maligne, fem. See Malice,
Gender, and cf. Benign, Malignant.]
1. Having an evil disposition toward others; harboring
violent enmity; malevolent; malicious; spiteful; --
opposed to benign.
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Witchcraft may be by operation of malign spirits.
--Bacon.
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2. Unfavorable; unpropitious; pernicious; tending to injure;
as, a malign aspect of planets.
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3. Malignant; as, a malign ulcer. [R.] --Bacon.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Malign \Ma*lign"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maligned; p. pr. & vb.
n. Maligning.] [Cf. L. malignare. See Malign, a.]
To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to
wrong; to injure. [Obs.]
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The people practice what mischiefs and villainies they
will against private men, whom they malign by stealing
their goods, or murdering them. --Spenser.
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2. To speak great evil of; to traduce; to defame; to slander;
to vilify; to asperse.
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To be envied and shot at; to be maligned standing,
and to be despised falling. --South.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Malign \Ma*lign"\, v. i.
To entertain malice. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster] Malignance