What Does Malding Mean in Twitch Chat and Where Did It Originate?

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What Does Malding Mean in Twitch Chat and Where Did It Originate?

Abhimannu Das
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  • Malding is a word that originated in Forsen's Twitch chat back in 2019 and it has slowly seen an increase in usage ever since.
  • Even though the word has seemingly originated in Twitch, it had an official listing in Urban Dictionary back in 2011.
  • The oldest Google searches for the word go back to 2004 but it is unknown if people used the word in the same context as they do now.

Malding is a Twitch chat term that is seeing increased usage over the past year or so. It is not tied to any emote but it is a common term in not just streaming platforms, but video games in general. The meaning of malding in Twitch originates from two separate words ‘mad’ and ‘balding’. Malding in Twitch chat means that you are mad and balding at the same time. The word is jokingly used to refer to people who seem that they are so mad, they start going bald. Let’s take a look at how the word originated and was popularized by various communities. 

What is The Meaning of Malding in Twitch Chat?

Malding is a combination of “mad” and “balding” to refer to someone who gets so mad that they start balding. While it is seen as a part of Twitch lingo, the word has been a part of Urban Dictionary since 2011 and people have been searching for the word since 2004. 

Malding in Twitch chat is a portmanteau word. Whenever two words are combined to form a new word, it is known as a portmanteau word. One of the most commonly used portmanteau words used by us is “brunch” which is a combination of breakfast and lunch. 

When Did Malding Become Popular in Twitch Chat?

The word mald became popular in the Forsen and Forsenboys community. Forsen is a popular Twitch streamer who found his breakthrough while streaming Hearthstone during 2015-2016 and quickly became one of the most popular variety streamers on the platform. In 2019, his viewers were getting mad at him for being worked up about a game. Soon enough, his chat started being spammed with “so bad, so mad” and “so bald, so mad”. It eventually evolved into “so bald, so mald” and that is where the term ‘mald’ was popularized on Twitch. 

After malding in Twitch chat became a popular word, a Redditor who goes by ganondorf69 posted a picture of Forsen and asked the community to upvote the picture so it would show up as an organic search result whenever Google users would search for “mald.” 

In June 2019, a video was posted called “The Malding of Twitch” which shows some of the most well-known Twitch streamers with bald spots. In July 2019, a streamer who goes by Nymm posted a video where he recounted the whole origin of ‘malding.’ Malding in Twitch chat is no longer restricted to Forsen’s community and it has spread to the entirety of Twitch.  

RELATED:  What Does KEKW Mean in Twitch Chat and Where Did It Originate?


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Abhimannu is a PC esports writer at AFK Gaming. With over seven years of experience in esports journalism, he has worked on a myriad of games and their ecosystems including Valorant, Overwatch and Apex Legends.

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