Glossary

Maintenance, cure, and wages is a concept within general maritime law that spells out the duties owed by the owner of a vessel to the crew. The terms are defined as follows. Maintenance—The proper rehabilitation and working environment that should be available to the seaman including but not limited to the provision of lodging and food over the course of recovery. Cure—Medical treatment toward recovery, at least as far as medical science is able to provide. Also termed "maximum medical cure," this obligation is owed a seaman for accidents as well as sicknesses, such as appendicitis, which generally do not fall within the provisions of state compensation acts. Medical care is provided free of charge, or at low cost, in those areas where the public health service has facilities. Wages—A sailor's usual wages during illness, but not extending beyond the end of the voyage. On ships operating year-round, on inland waterways, wages may not extend beyond a period of a year, the end of the contract, or the period of illness, whichever is shortest. For impairment of future earnings, the seaman must bring suit.

Major hospitalization insurance is a health insurance coverage for catastrophic hospital expenses, subject to a large deductible.

A major life activity is a term contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 relating to the severity of disability necessary to qualify for protection under the Act. For an individual to be considered disabled for the purposes of the Act, a major life activity must be substantially limited. Activities considered to be major include but are not limited to caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

Major medical insurance refers to health insurance that provides benefits up to very high limits, subject to a very large deductible. There may also be internal limits and a participation clause, sometimes called the "coinsurance clause."

A major shareholder exclusion is contained in some directors and officers (D&O) liability policies that precludes coverage for claims made by individuals who own a large percentage of the insured entity's stock (typically more than 5 percent to 10 percent). The rationale for the exclusion is that such claims are often the result of infighting or personality conflicts between major shareholders and management rather than being caused by managerial errors involving substantive business decisions.

Malicious code is any virus, Trojan horse, malware, worm, or any other similar software program, code, or script intentionally designed to insert itself into computer memory or onto a computer disk and spread itself from one computer to another. Malicious code typically has the potential to spread at an exponential rate, even with a small number of computers originally affected.

Malicious prosecution is an intentional tort that arises when an attorney institutes a claim that lacks legal and factual justification. To prove a claim of malicious prosecution, the plaintiff must also show that the claim was favorably terminated (i.e., by defense judgment and not by a settlement). In addition, the plaintiff must prove that the claim was brought with malice. Despite the fact that malicious prosecution is an intentional tort, most lawyers professional liability policies generally cover such claims.

Malpractice is a professional error, omission, or act of negligence in performing a professional act. Also, a term used to denote the type of professional liability insurance coverage written to cover physicians, surgeons, accountants, lawyers, architects, and engineers, among others.

Malpractice insurance is for a professional practitioner that will defend professional liability suits and pay damages up to a maximum limit.

Malware is a type of software designed to infiltrate and damage a computer system without the computer owner's knowledge or consent. The term is a shortened combination of the words "malicious" and "software" and is a generic term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software, such as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and spyware.