mălignus, a, um, adj. [for maligenus, malus, and gen-, root of gigno; cf. the opp. benignus], of an evil nature or disposition, ill-disposed, wicked, mischievous, malicious, spiteful, envious, malignant, malign (poet. and post-Aug.; syn.: invidus, malevolus, parcus).
I In gen.: maligni caupones, Hor. S. 1, 5, 4: magnaque numinibus vota exaudita malignis, unkind , Juv. 10, 111.— Of inanim. and abstr. things: malignissima capita, Sen. Vit. Beat. 18: litus, Luc. 8, 565: portus, id. 5, 651: leges, Ov. M. 10, 329: votum, Cat. 67, 5: verba, Manil. 4, 573: mente malignā, Cat. 68, 37: studia, Ov. Tr. 4, 1, 101: vulgus, Hor. C. 2, 16, 40: oculi, Verg. A. 5, 654.—
II In partic.
A Stingy, niggardly : malignus, largus, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 2, 17.—Of favors, Ter. Hec. 159: vagae ne parce malignus arenae ossibus particulam dare, Hor. C. 1, 28, 23.—Trop.: fama, Ov. H. 16, 143: in laudandis dictionibus, Quint. 2, 2, 6.—
B Transf.
1 Barren, unfruitful : terra malignior ceteris, Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 15: colles, Verg. G. 2, 179.—
2 Scanty, insufficient, dim, petty, small, narrow : ostium, too narrow , Sen. Q. N. 3, 27: aditus, Verg. A. 11, 525: ignis, Mart. 10, 96, 7: lux, Verg. A. 6, 270: conspecta est parva maligna Unda procul venā, Luc. 9, 500: munus, Plin. 7, 50, 51, § 167.—Hence, adv.: mălignē .
1 In gen., ill-naturedly, spitefully, enviously, malignantly (not in Cic. or Caes.): maledice ac maligne loqui, Liv. 45, 39.— Comp. : malignius habitum esse sermonem, Curt. 8, 1, 8.—
2 In partic.
a Stingily, grudgingly : ager maligne plebi divisus, Liv. 8, 12: famem exstinguere, sparingly , Sen. Ep. 18, 9: non mihi fuit tam maligne, ut, etc., it has not gone so poorly with me that , etc., Cat. 10, 18: dispensare, Sen. Ben. 6, 16, 7: laudare, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 209.— Comp. : dicis, malignius tecum egisse naturam, Sen. Ep. 44, 1.—
b Little, scantily : terra eorum, quae seruntur, maligne admodum patiens, a very little , Mel. 2, 2: apertus, Sen. Ben. 6, 34, 3: virens, Plin. 34, 11, 26, § 112.