1. [n]  mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; a modern version of the traditional marketplace; "a good plaza should have a movie house"; "they spent their weekends at the local malls"
2. [n]  a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk

Mall
In Eric Bogosian`s first novel, a man named Mal who, after a spree of murder and mayhem, ends up at the mall with a cache of weapons. Also present are a troubled teenager, a sexually frustrated suburban housewife, a Haitian security guard, and a young businessman who is also a voyeur. Their lives intersect in a night of violence and black comedy.

more details ...

1. \Mall\ (m[add]l; 277), n. [Written also {maul}.] [OE.
   malle, F. mail, L. malleus. Cf. {Malleus}.]
   1. A large heavy wooden beetle; a mallet for driving anything
      with force; a maul. --Addison.
   2. A heavy blow. [Obs.] --Spenser.
   3. An old game played with malls or mallets and balls. See
      {Pall-mall}. --Cotton.
   4. A place where the game of mall was played. Hence: A public
      walk; a level shaded walk.
            Part of the area was laid out in gravel walks, and
            planted with elms; and these convenient and
            frequented walks obtained the name of the City Mall.
                                                  --Southey.
   

2. \Mall\ (m[add]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Malled} (m[add]ld);
   p. pr. & vb. n. {Malling}.] [Cf. OF. mailler. See {Mall}
   beetle, and cf. {Malleate}.]
   To beat with a mall; to beat with something heavy; to bruise;
   to maul.
   

3. \Mall\ (m[a^]l), n. [LL. mallum a public assembly; cf. OHG.
   mahal assembly, transaction; akin to AS. m[ae][eth]el,
   me[eth]el, assembly, m[=ae]lan to speak, Goth. ma[thorn]l
   market place.]
   Formerly, among Teutonic nations, a meeting of the notables
   of a state for the transaction of public business, such
   meeting being a modification of the ancient popular assembly.
   Hence:
   (a) A court of justice.
   (b) A place where justice is administered.
   (c) A place where public meetings are held.
             Councils, which had been as frequent as diets or
             malls, ceased.                       --Milman.
   

A collection of World-Wide Web documents featuring commercial products and services, usually served by one particualr Internet access provider.