malady

Malady is a general term for a disease or illness. In everyday usage it refers to any physical or mental disorder, but it is most often found in literary, historical, or formal contexts rather than as a clinical diagnosis. The word originates in Middle English from Old French maladie, meaning illness, which in turn derives from Latin roots indicating bad or unhealthy states.

Although synonymous with disease in broad terms, malady carries a slightly non-specific nuance. Physicians tend to use more precise terms such as disease, illness, disorder, or syndrome; malady thus remains a broader, sometimes more poetic or admonitory term. It is commonly employed to describe non-diagnostic conditions or to discuss problems affecting more than an individual, including societal, political, or institutional troubles, for example “a malady of corruption” or “an aging malady of the system.”

Historically, malady has appeared in medical texts and literature to convey gravity or severity without naming a specific ailment. In modern clinical prose the term is rarer and often noted as stylistic or rhetorical. While it can describe physical health problems, it is equally used metaphorically to refer to less tangible or systemic difficulties.

See also: disease, illness, disorder, medical diagnosis.