Corrupt

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Pronunciation: /kəˈɹʌpt/

Definitions

1. Behaving in a way that is dishonest or morally wrong ; changed or damaged so that it no longer works or is clear ; to make someone dishonest or morally compromised
2. Showing a lack of honesty or integrity ; altered from the original so as to be broken, damaged, or illegitimate ; to influence someone to act unethically
3. Having fallen from moral uprightness ; modified so as to be faulty or corrupted ; to impair someone's morals or honesty by wrongful means

Etymology: The core idea is physical: Latin "corrumpere" combined "com-" (together) with "rumpere" (to break), so its original sense was to break something into pieces or to ruin it completely. Its past participle "corruptus" carried that sense of being broken or spoiled, and that is the thread running through every later meaning. A thing that has been rotted, smashed or adulterated is "corrupt" in the oldest sense, and the moral meaning grew out of that same image of something once whole now being broken apart. The Latin verb also meant "to bribe," which shows how quickly the idea of ruin moved into the world of money and favours. Someone who was bought was, in effect, spoiled from the inside, and Roman usage applied the word to officials and judges who could be induced to betray their duty. English took the word from Middle English "corrupten," which had itself come through Old French, so the sense of moral decay arrived with the word rather than being added later.

Synonyms: dishonest, depraved, crooked

Antonyms: honest, upright