Corrupt
/kəˈrʌpt/noun
Changed from its original form or condition; dishonest or morally tainted.
Did you know?In Latin, corruptus could describe not only moral decay but also the physical spoiling of food or the ruining of a body, so the word has always carried the sense of something being broken down beyond repair.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reup-
“to break, tear, or burst”
Latin
Latin
corrumpere
“to destroy, spoil, bribe, or seduce away from integrity”
Latin
Latin
corruptus
“spoiled, ruined, morally depraved”
Old French
Old French
corrupt
“corrupted, spoiled”
Middle English
English
corrupt
“morally or physically spoiled”
Modern English
English
corrupt
“dishonest, tainted, or altered for the worse”