'malaria' originates from Italian, specifically the words 'mala aria,' where 'mala' meant 'bad' and 'aria' meant 'air.'

'mala aria' transformed into the English word 'malaria' through the influence of medical terminology in the 18th century.

Initially, it referred to 'bad air' believed to cause disease, but over time it evolved into its current meaning of a mosquito-borne infectious disease.