Malaise is a vague feeling that something is wrong. A general malaise.
In medicine it means feeling unwell without any particular symptom, which is often the first sign of illness. In writing about society it means a mood of dissatisfaction nobody can name.
1nounmalaiseA vague feeling that something is wrong.
“The malaise in the department lasted two years and cost four people.”
malaise is a feeling.
French malaise is mal, bad, plus aise, ease.
French
malaise — ill ease
English, today
malaise
Built from
From French malaise (“ill ease”), from mal- (“bad, badly”) + aise (“ease”). Compare ill at ease.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA