mauvais

in French terms in English, "false, worthless," from French mauvais (fem. mauvaise) "bad," 12c., from Vulgar Latin *malifatius, literally "one who has a bad lot," from Latin malum "bad" (see mal-) + fatum "fate" (see fate (n.)). Among the borrowed expressions in which it figures are mauvaise honte "false modesty" (in English by 1721); mauvais sujet "a bad fellow, a 'hard case'" (1793); mauvais quart d'heure "brief but unpleasant experience" (1864).