malignitās

1. Malitia denotes the baseness which shows itself in the love of lying and deceiving, from want of conscience; malignitas, the ill-will which grudges good to another, and wishes it only to itself, from pure selfishness; malevolentia, the ill-will which wishes evil to another rather than good, from personal aversion. Malitia is a way of thinking and acting deserving of punishment as endangering the security of society; malignitas is a despicable disposition, which implies the want of philanthropy; lastly, malevolentia, a detestable quality, as connected with deriving pleasure from the misfortunes of others. 2. Malus homo is a morally bad man, but nequam a good-for-nothing man, whose faultiness shows itself in aversion to useful labor, and a propensity to roguish tricks, in opp. to frugi. Plaut. Pseud, i. 5. 53. Cic. Font. 13. Or. ii. 61. Fin. ii. 8. Sen. Contr. iii. 21; pravus (πέραῖος) a man whose character has taken a vicious direction, in a physical, or intellectual, or moral point of view in opp. to rectus. Plaut. Bacch. iii. 3, 8. Cic. Fin. ii. 8. Acad. i. 10. Quintil. viii. 3, 48. Nec parricidam nequam dixeris hominem, nec meretrici forte deditum nefarium; quod alterum parum, alterum nimium est. Afric. ap. Gell. vii. 11. (i. 62.)

Invidia denotes looking askance, as a sign that a man grudges something to another, from moral or immoral motives, not necessarily, though especially, from self-love, like ὑποψία; whereas livor (from χλεύη, or χλοιά), denotes the self-tormenting envy, which poisons the whole soul, and deprives the body itself of its fresh healthy color. 2. Invidia is the usual term for envy, whether active, as that which a man harbors, or passive, as a state in which a man stands; whereas invidentia is a new term of Cicero’s for the envy which a man harbors. 3. Invidia and livor denote envy as a temporary state, whereas malignitas as an habitual quality and disposition, in opp. to goodness of heart. The invidus and lividus grudge particular persons particular advantages, in particular cases; but the malignus wishes well to nobody but himself. 4. Invidia, livor, malignitas, denote a feeling and state of mind, whereas obtrectatio denotes an action, or manner of acting, proceeding from this feeling, inasmuch as it seeks to injure the envied person by dishonorable means, namely, detraction. Obtrectatio can scarcely be conceived as existing without invidia, but invidia may without obtrectatio, if the envious person is too cowardly to enter into conflict with the envied. 5. Obtrectatio supposes a rival, and has its origin in jealousy; whereas detrectatio only an enemy in general, and proceeds principally from antipathy. (iii. 65.)