malefactor

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who commits a crime or other wrongful act; a criminal or evildoer

   The guard searched every carriage for the malefactor who had escaped from custody.

From Middle English malefactour, from Late Latin malefactor ("evildoer"), built from Latin male ("badly, wickedly") + factor ("doer, maker"), from facere ("to do, make"). It is structurally opposed to benefactor, a person who does good.

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