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maltreat
too old to have children. The phrase is often used humorously to describe the behaviour of a middle-aged man who is not satisfied with his life at home or at work and may suddenly want to change his job or start showing an interest in much younger women: He must be going through the male menopause. -> compare MENOPAUSE, MIDDLE AGE, MID-LIFE CRISIS
male-voice 'choir n a group of singers, all men, who usually perform in public with an ORCHESTRA. The Welsh are famous for their male-voice choirs.
ma-lev-o-lent /mə'levələnt/ adj especially lit having or expressing a wish to harm others -> compare BENEVOLENT —ly adv —lence n [U]
mal-feas-ance /mæl'fi:zəns/ n law 1 [U] wrongdoing 2 [C] an unlawful act, especially by an official in government
mal-for-ma-tion /,mælfɔ:'meɪʃən||-ɔr-/ n 1 [U] the condition of being formed or shaped wrongly 2 [C] a shape, structure, or part (especially a part of the body) that is formed badly or wrongly
mal-formed /,mæl'fɔ:rmd||-ɔr-/ adj made or shaped badly -> compare DEFORM
mal-func-tion /mæl'fʌŋkʃən/ n fml a fault in operation: Results have been delayed owing to a malfunction in the computer. —malfunction v [I]
Ma-li /'mɑ:li:/ one of the largest countries in West Africa. It contains a large area of the southern Sahara Desert, and it also contains the city of TIMBUKTU. Population 11,626,219 (2003). Capital: Bamako. —Malian n, adj
Mal-i-bu¹ /'mælibu:/ a beach in southern California near Los Angeles, famous for its SURFING². Many rich and famous people, especially film stars, live there.
Malibu² trademark an alcoholic drink that contains RUM and has a taste of COCONUT. It is usually drunk on its own or mixed with COCA COLA or fruit juice.
mal-ice /'mælɪs/ n [U] 1 the wish, desire, or intention to hurt or harm someone: He got no advantage out of it; he did it from pure malice. | I bear you no malice. (=do not wish to harm you) 2 with malice aforethought law (of a criminal act) planned before it was done; done on purpose
ma-li-cious /mə'lɪʃəs/ adj resulting from or expressing malice: a malicious attack on his reputation | a malicious smile —ly adv
ma-lign¹ /mə'laɪn/ v [T] to say or write bad or unkind things about, especially falsely: She was maligned by the newspapers. | This much-maligned novel is in fact remarkable in many ways.
malign² adj derog especially lit (of a thing) harmful; causing evil: a malign influence —ly adv —ity /mə'lɪgnəti/ n [U]
ma-lig-nan-cy /mə'lɪgnənsi/ n 1 [U] the state of being malignant 2 [C] med a dangerous growth of cells; a TUMOUR of a malignant kind
ma-lig-nant /mə'lɪgnənt/ adj 1 full of hate and a strong wish to do harm: a malignant nature/look 2 med (of a disease) serious enough to cause death if not prevented: a malignant tumour -> compare BENIGN —ly adv
ma-lin-ger /mə'lɪŋgər/ v [I] to avoid work by pretending to be (still) sick: He says he's got flu, but I think he's malingering. —er n
Mal-i-now-ski, Bron-i-slaw /,mælɪ'nɒfski:l-'nɑ:f-, 'brɒnɪslæf||'brɑ:n-/ (1884-1942) a British ANTHROPOLOGIST (=a scientist who studies people and their societies, and the way that their customs develop), born in Poland, who established the first university department of ANTHROPOLOGY in Britain and wrote several important books on the subject
mall /mɔ:l, mæll|mɔ:l/ also shopping mall n AmE a large shopping centre, usually enclosed, where cars are not permitted but there is plenty of space to park them outside -> see also STRIP MALL; see colour photo on page A39
Mall, The 1 a straight road in central London that connects BUCKINGHAM PALACE and TRAFALGAR SQUARE. Whenever there is a royal wedding, funeral, or similar occasion, the royal family travels slowly along it, and many people come to watch. -> compare PALL MALL 2 a park in Washington, D.C., which is surrounded by the WASHINGTON MONUMENT and several famous MUSEUMS, including the SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. It is used for PICNICS, games, and concerts.
mal-lard /'mælədl-ərd/ n pl. mallard or mallards a wild duck, the male of which has a green head and a reddish-brown breast
mal-le-a-ble /'mæliəbəl/ adj 1 (of a metal) that can be beaten, pressed, rolled etc into a new shape 2 (of people or their character) easily influenced, changed, or trained; TRACTABLE —bility /,mæliə'bɪləti/ n [U]
mal-let /'mælɪt/ n 1 a wooden hammer with a large head 2 a wooden hammer with a long handle used in the games of CROQUET and POLO
Mall of A'merica, the a very large MALL in Bloomington, Minnesota, near Minneapolis. It contains more than 500 stores and an AMUSEMENT PARK.
mal-low /'mæləʊ/ n a plant with pink or purple flowers and fine hairs on its stem and leaves -> see also MARSHMALLOW
mall-rat /'mɔ:l|ræt/ n [usually P] AmE infml a young person who goes to SHOPPING MALLS a lot in order to be with their friends, not to buy things
malm-sey /'mɑ:mzi/ n [U] a dark type of MADEIRA (=a strong sweet wine)
mal-nour-ished /,mæl'nʌrɪʃt ||-'nɜ:r-/ adj suffering from malnutrition
mal-nu-tri-tion /,mælnju:'trɪʃən||-nu-/ n [U] (a poor condition of health resulting from) bad feeding, with food that is the wrong sort and/or too small in amount
mal-o-dor-ous /mæl'əʊdərəs/ adj fml or pomp having a bad smell
Ma-lone, Karl /mə'ləʊn, kɑ:l||kɑ:rl/ (1963-) a US BASKETBALL player who played for the Utah Jazz team. He was considered to be one of the best players in the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s and was twice voted MVP (=most valuable player). He also won GOLD MEDALS at the Olympics for basketball in 1992 and 1996.
Mal-o-ry, Sir Thomas /'mæləri/ (c.1410-71) an English writer known for his book LE MORTE D'ARTHUR which tells the story of King ARTHUR -> see also ARTHURIAN LEGEND
mal-prac-tice /,mæl'præktɪs/ n [C;U] (a) failure to carry out one's professional duty properly or honestly, often resulting in hurt, loss, or damage to someone: She sued her doctor/solicitor for malpractice.
malt¹ /mɔ:lt/ n [U] grain, usually BARLEY which has been kept in water for a while until it grows a little and then dried for use in making drinks such as beer and WHISKY
Malt² v [T] to make (grain) into malt
Mal-ta /'mɔ:ltə/ a group of small islands in the Mediterranean Sea, formerly ruled by the UK. It has been an independent REPUBLIC and a member of the British COMMONWEALTH since 1964. It consists of three main islands, Malta, Gozo, and Comino, and is popular with British tourists. Population: 400,420 (2003). Capital: Valletta. In 2004 Malta joined the EU.
malted 'milk n [C;U] 1 (a drink made from) milk treated with malt 2 AmE also malted (a drink made from) milk treated with malt ICE CREAM and a FLAVOURING: a chocolate malted milk | I'll have a strawberry malted.
Mal-tese /,mɔ:l'ti:z/ n 1 the Maltese [P] the people of Malta 2 [U] the language of Malta —Maltese adj: a Maltese fishing boat
Maltese 'cross n a cross with four equal parts that become wider as they go out from the centre. Each of the four parts usually has a V-shape cut into its end.
Mal-te-sers /,mɔ:l'ti:zərz/ trademark a type of sweet containing MALT, in the shape of small balls with a chocolate covering and a light centre. Advertisements for Maltesers used to use the phrase 'the chocolates with the less fattening centre'.
Mal-thus, Thomas /'mælθəs/ (1766-1834) a British ECONOMIST who studied population growth. He is known especially for his opinion that, if the world's population was not controlled by disease, wars, or by sexual RESTRAINT, it would grow faster than the world's food supply. —Malthusian /,mæl'θju:ziən||-'θu:ʒən/ adj
malt 'liquor n AmE a kind of BEER
mal-treat /mæl'tri:t/ v [T] to treat roughly and/or cruelly —ment n [U]