malfeasance
/ˌmælˈfiːzəns/ noun
Forms malfeasances
- noun Wrongdoing.
- noun (law) Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official and causing damage.
Synonyms
misconduct misdoing crime delict delinquency error misdeed misdemeanor offense peccadillo sin tort tortfeasance transgression veniality villainy wrong wrongdoing
Etymology
From Old French malfaisance, derived from malfaire, maufaire (“to do evil”), from Latin malefaciō (“to do evil”), from male (“evilly”) + faciō (“to do, make”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The doing of an act which a person ought not to do; evil conduct; an illegal deed. [Written also malefeasance.]
Etymology [F. malfaisance, fr. malfaisant injurious, doing ill; mal ill, evil + faisant doing, p. pr. of faire to do. See Malice, Feasible, and cf. Maleficence.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “malfeasance”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details