In a way that is deliberately intended to cause harm, damage, or upset to someone.
From Old French 'malice,' derived from Latin 'malitia' meaning 'badness' or 'evil intent.' The suffix '-ously' transforms the noun into an adverb describing how an action is performed.
The difference between doing something harmful by accident and maliciously is crucial in law—malice requires intention, which is why the word appears constantly in courtrooms. Ancient Romans distinguished 'malitia' (evil intent) from mere mistakes, recognizing that our inner motivations matter.
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