Malignity

Origin

From the Latin roots mal- ("bad") and -nitor ("strive"). Translated from the Ancient Greek word κακοήθεια (kakoētheia, "bad character, mischievous").

Full definition of malignity

Noun

1. The quality of being malign or malignant; badness, evilness, monstrosity, depravity, maliciousness.
• 1861, Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, :His enjoyment of the spectacle I furnished, as he sat with his arms folded on the table, shaking his head at me and hugging himself, had a malignity in it that made me tremble.
2. A non-benign cancer; a malignancy.
• 2005, Jun;106(3):177-80 English abstract of French article "Multiple metastases of a mandibular ameloblastoma" R.L. Abada et al., "Multiple metastases of a mandibular ameloblastoma", Revue de stomatologie et de chirurgie maxillo-facialeThe absence of any histological sign of malignity in the primary tumor and in the metastases, as observed in our patient, is remarkable.