bad

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   with great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly')

   the injury hurt badly

2. 2
   adj

   feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad')

   my throat feels bad

3. 3
   adj

   not in an edible or usable condition, in referring to foodstuffs

   The meat was bad.

4. 4
   adj

   not working properly

   a bad telephone connection

5. 5
   adj

   reproduced fraudulently

   like a bad penny...

6. 6
   adj

   having undesirable or negative qualities

   a bad report card

7. 7
   adj

   characterized by wickedness or immorality

   led a very bad life

8. 8
   adj

   physically unsound or diseased

   has a bad back

Etymology

From Middle English bad, badde (“wicked, evil, depraved”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortening of Old English bæddel (“hermaphrodite”) (for loss of -el compare Middle English muche from Old English myċel, and Middle English wenche from Old English wenċel), or at least related to it and/or to bǣ̆dan (“to defile”), compare Old High German pad (“hermaphrodite”). Alternatively, perhaps a loan from Old Norse into Middle English, compare Norwegian bad (“effort, trouble, fear”, neuter noun), East Danish bad (“damage, destruction, fight”, neuter noun), from the Proto-Germanic noun *badą, whence…