Etymology

malware

mal·ware
M3A1L1W4A1R1E1

Today it means: Software which has been designed to operate in a malicious, undesirable manner. Full definition →

English softwarebf. ← Middle English ware ← Old English waru
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)mel-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)molos?
  3. Proto-Italic*malos
  4. Latinmalus
  5. Latinmale
  6. Old Frenchmal-
  7. Englishmal-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  9. Proto-Germanic*samþuz /*samftuz
  10. Proto-West Germanic*samft(ī)
  11. Old Englishsōfte
  12. Middle Englishsofte
  13. Englishsoft
  14. Proto-Germanic*warō
  15. Proto-West Germanic*waru
  16. Old Englishwaru
  17. Middle Englishware
  18. Englishsoftwarebf.
  19. English todaymalware

From mal- + -ware.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.