malady Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun any unwholesome or desperate condition
- what maladies afflict our nation?
noun impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
illness; unwellness; sickness.

F. maladie, fr. malade ill, sick, OF. also, malabde, fr. L. male habitus, i. e., ill-kept, not in good condition. See Malice, and Habit.

plural Maladies

Any disease of the human body; a distemper, disorder, or indisposition, proceeding from impaired, defective, or morbid organic functions; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder.
The maladies of the body may prove medicines to the mind. Buckminster.
A moral or mental defect or disorder.
Love's a malady without a cure. Dryden.
Syn. -- Disorder; distemper; sickness; ailment; disease; illness. See Disease.