Latin for Evil Man

by Levi
(Seattle, WA, USA)

Dear Latin Teacher.

I'm a writer doing research, and I'm trying to find out what the Latin word for "evil man." I know the words (Malum, Vir), but I don't know the correct conjugation, or if there is a single word for these, if any.

I appreciate your help.


Hi Levi,

Most simply, use the adjective for evil in the masculine singular: Malus = evil man.

If he very evil, perhaps Pessimus, the superlative of malus.

There are a host of other words in Latin to describe bad people. Some of my favorites are:

furcifer: a scoundrel, a rogue

carnifex: a butcher, murderer, executioner

pravus: a perverse, corrupt, vicious sort of person, i.e. born bad to the bone. Again the superlative is possible: pravissimus.

You don't need to add vir to any of these. furcifer and carnifex are nouns.

Hope this helps and thanks for asking a Latin teacher!

Sincerely,

John