malady

noun

Etymology: From Middle English maladie, from Old French maladie (“sickness, illness, disease”), from malade (“ill, sick”), from Latin male habitus (“ill-kept, not in good condition”), 1st century AD. See also malice and habit.

1. Any ailment or disease of the body; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder.

   “As, to prevent our maladies unseen, / We sicken to shun sickness when we purge.”

   “The maladies of the body may prove medicines of the mind.”

2. A moral or mental defect or disorder.

   “Love's a malady without a cure.”