Etymology

malinger

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Today it means: To feign illness, injury, or incapacitation in order to avoid work, obligation, or perilous risk. Full definition →

French malingrer
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The story

  1. French · borrowed frommalingrer
  2. English todaymalinger

From French malingrer, from adjective malingre (“delicate, fragile”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.