malum

Malum is a Latin noun that can mean either “apple” or “evil/harm,” depending on context. It is a neuter noun of the second declension, with the singular forms malum (nominative and accusative) and mali (genitive), along with malo (dative and ablative). The plural forms are mala (nominative and accusative), malorum (genitive), malis (dative and ablative). The fruit sense is common in botanical and culinary contexts, while the moral sense appears in ethical, legal, and philosophical writing.

Etymology and related terms

Malum derives from a common Indo-European root associated with harm and wrongdoing, and is cognate with the Latin adjective malus, meaning “bad.” The fruit sense (apple) has long been attested in Latin literature and is linked in some scholarly traditions to the same root, though the senses have become specialized in later usage. In taxonomy, the genus Malus, which includes apples, is capitalized in Latin and used in scientific naming; Malus domestica is the most widely cultivated domesticated apple.

Usage and phrases

In classical Latin, malum appears both as a substantive noun for fruit and as a term for moral evil. It is also found in legal and philosophical expressions that distinguish intrinsic wrongness from offenses defined by law. Notable phrases include malum in se (an evil in itself) and malum prohibitum (an offense because it is prohibited). The word’s versatility reflects broader Latin practices of using a single term to cover multiple related concepts.

In modern scholarship, malum is primarily encountered in Latin grammar, literature, and historical law, as well as in the biological naming of apples under the genus Malus.