Word: malinger (verb)

Associations

The word "malinger" means to pretend to be sick or injured to avoid work or duty. It is often used when someone wants to escape responsibilities by faking illness.

• Example 1: "He tends to malinger whenever there is a difficult task at work." Here, it means he pretends to be ill to avoid the task.
• Example 2: "Soldiers who malinger during training may face punishment." This shows pretending to be sick to avoid military duties.
• Example 3: "Don't malinger just to skip school." This means not to fake sickness to avoid attending school. A similar word is "feign," which means to pretend something, but "feign" is more general, while "malinger" specifically refers to pretending illness to avoid work.

Substitution

Instead of "malinger," you could say:

• "pretend to be sick"
• "fake illness"
• "shirk duties" (more general, means avoid work but not only by pretending sickness) Using "shirk" changes the meaning slightly because it does not always involve pretending illness, just avoiding work.

Deconstruction

The word "malinger" comes from French "malingre," meaning "sickly." It entered English in the late 19th century.

• Prefix: none
• Root: "mal-" means bad or ill (from Latin)
• Suffix: "-inger" is part of the verb form but does not have a separate meaning here. So, "malinger" literally relates to being "badly" or "ill" but used as pretending to be ill.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when someone might malinger at school or work?
• Why do you think people malinger instead of just asking for a break?
• How would you feel if a teammate malingered and did not help in a group project?