“malefactors” is a form of
malefactor
/ˈmæləˌfæktɚ/ noun
Forms malefactors malefactour
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English malefactour, from Late Latin malefactor, from Latin malefaciō, from male (“evilly”) + factus (“made or done”), past participle of facio (“to make or do”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An evil doer; one who commits a crime; one subject to public prosecution and punishment; a criminal.
- noun One who does wrong by injuring another, although not a criminal.
Etymology [L., fr. malefacere to do evil; male ill, evil + facere to do. See Malice, and Fact.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “malefactor”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details