corruption

 
Pronunciation: /kəˈrʌpʃ(ə)n/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery: the journalist who wants to expose corruption in high places
  • the action or effect of making someone or something morally depraved: the corruption of youth was a powerful motif the word ‘addict’ conjures up evil and corruption
  • 2the process by which a word or expression is changed from its original state to one regarded as erroneous or debased: a record of a word’s corruption [count noun]: the term ‘hobgoblin’ is thought to be a corruption of ‘Robgoblin’
  • the process by which a computer database or program becomes debased by alteration or the introduction of errors: this procedure creates a temporary file to prevent accidental corruption
  • 3 archaic the process of decay; putrefaction: the potato turned black and rotten with corruption

Origin:

Middle English: via Old French from Latin corruptio(n-), from corrumpere 'mar, bribe, destroy' (see corrupt)