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malice aforethought

malice aforethought In this historical source, malice aforethought means the malicious intent that is treated as a required element of murder.

In this historical source, malice aforethought means the malicious intent that is treated as a required element of murder. More broadly, it rests on the idea of an evil intention to commit a wrongful act that harms another.

Also see

Sources

Drafting source: Baldwin Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1901. 1901 New York Macmillan original; archive index checked 2026-10-18. “Malice (in law)” (Malice (in law)).
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PsychTerms (psychterms.org), CC BY 4.0, version 1. “malice aforethought.” Development preview.

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