malignus

Malignus is a Latin adjective meaning malignant or harmful, attested in classical and medieval texts. It describes diseases, tumors, or persons of malign character. In Latin, it formed the basis for related medical and moral terms; the modern English adjective malignant derives from related roots, and in English “malign” and “malignancy” are common.

In English-language medical usage, the standard term is malignant; “malignus” is rarely used outside philological or historical contexts. Scholarly Latin phrases such as “cancer malignus” were used historically to describe malignant tumors.

In contemporary fiction and world-building, “Malignus” is used as a proper noun for antagonists, powers, or entities embodying harm or corruption. The name is also sometimes used as a fictional place or organization in games or literature. The usage is generally ornamental and not tied to a recognized external canon.

See also: malignant, malign, malignancy, tumor.