Corrupts

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Causes someone to behave in a dishonest or immoral way ; damages or alters the integrity of something, making it less pure or reliable
2. Induces unethical conduct or moral decay in a person ; spoils the quality or reliability of data, files, or systems
3. Leads a person to engage in improper or illegal behavior ; alters or harms the original condition or accuracy of an object or information

Etymology: "Corrupts" is the third-person singular form of "corrupt", so its history is that of the verb itself. The verb entered English through Middle English "corrupten", taken from Latin "corruptus", the past participle of "corrumpere", which meant "to destroy, ruin, injure, spoil" and also "to bribe". Its building blocks are literal: "com-", meaning "together", and "rumpere", meaning "to break in pieces". The sense of breaking apart runs deep in the word. Something corrupted was something broken down together, spoiled or fragmented until it no longer held its shape. Only later did the idea of spoiling move from physical things to people, so that a person who was spoiled in character, or bought off, came to be called corrupt. The moral sense of leading someone toward wrongdoing grew out of that older picture of a thing being broken from within.

Synonyms: bribes, degrades, perverts, spoil, taints

Antonyms: clarifies, purifies, redeems, rectifies, improves