different between malign vs belie

English

Etymology

From Old French maligne, from Latin malignus, from malus (“bad”) + genus (“sort, kind”). Compare benign.

Pronunciation

• enPR: m?-l?n', IPA^(key): /m??la?n/

Adjective

malign (comparative more malign, superlative most malign)

1. Evil or malignant in disposition, nature, intent or influence.
2. Malevolent.
   • 1891, Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

     He was sure they [the stars] were arranged in some order which had a secret and malign significance.

3. (oncology) Malignant.
   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Seditions and Troubles

     malign ulcers

Antonyms

• benign

Related terms

• malignant

Translations

Verb

malign (third-person singular simple present maligns, present participle maligning, simple past and past participle maligned)

1. (transitive) To make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.
   • To be envied and shot at; to be maligned standing, and to be despised falling.

2. (transitive, archaic) To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to wrong.

   • The people practice what mischiefs and villainies they will against private men, whom they malign by stealing their goods, or murdering them.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:defame

Translations

Anagrams

• Gilman, laming, lingam

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin malignus

Adjective

malign (masculine and feminine malign, neuter malignt, definite singular and plural maligne)

1. (medicine) malignant

References

• “malign” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “malign” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin malignus

Adjective

malign (masculine and feminine malign, neuter malignt, definite singular and plural maligne)

1. (medicine) malignant

English

Alternative forms

• bely

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /b??la?/, /b??la?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /b??la?/, /b??la?/, /bi?la?/
• Rhymes: -a?

Etymology 1

From Middle English belyen, beliggen, from Old English belicgan, bilicgan (“to lie around, surround, hedge in, encompass”). Equivalent to be- (“around, by”) +? lie (“to be positioned”).

Verb

belie (third-person singular simple present belies, present participle belying, simple past belay, past participle belain)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To lie around; encompass.
2. (transitive, obsolete, of an army) To surround; beleaguer.

Etymology 2

From Middle English belyen, beleo?en, from Old English bel?ogan (“to deceive by lying, be mistaken”), from Proto-West Germanic *bileugan (“to belie”). Equivalent to be- (“about”) +? lie (“to deceive”). Compare German belügen (“to tell a lie”).

Verb

belie (third-person singular simple present belies, present participle belying, simple past and past participle belied)

1. (transitive, archaic) To tell lies about. [from 13th c.]

   Synonyms: slander, calumniate
2. (transitive) To give a false representation of. [from 17th c.]

   Synonym: misrepresent
3. (transitive) To contradict, to show (something) to be false. [from 17th c.]

   Synonyms: contradict, give lie to, give the lie to
4. (transitive, rare) To call a liar; to accuse of falsehood. [from 17th c.]
5. (transitive, rare) To fill with lies; to lie to.
6. (transitive, perhaps nonstandard) To conceal the contradictory or ironic presence of (something).
7. (transitive, perhaps nonstandard) To show, evince or demonstrate (something) to be present, particularly something deemed contradictory or ironic.
8. (obsolete) To mimic; to counterfeit.

Translations

Anagrams

• Elbie