Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Corruption has 7 different meanings across 1 category:
lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain
"The senator's acceptance of campaign donations from oil executives revealed his corruption and willingness to bend the law for personal profit."
in a state of progressive putrefaction
"The ancient corpse had reached a stage of corruption where it emitted a foul, decaying odor that filled the entire room."
decay of matter (as by rot or oxidation)
"The old wooden fence showed clear signs of corruption from years of exposure to rain and sun."
moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles
"the luxury and corruption among the upper classes"
"moral degeneracy followed intellectual degeneration"
"its brothels, its opium parlors, its depravity"
"Rome had fallen into moral putrefaction"
destroying someone's (or some group's) honesty or loyalty; undermining moral integrity
"corruption of a minor"
"the big city's subversion of rural innocence"
inducement (as of a public official) by improper means (as bribery) to violate duty (as by commiting a felony)
"he was held on charges of corruption and racketeering"
The act of corrupting or of impairing integrity, virtue, or moral principle; the state of being corrupted or debased; loss of purity or integrity
"The scandal revealed a deep corruption within the organization that had eroded its fundamental values and destroyed public trust."
In plain English: Corruption is when someone uses their power to do something dishonest for personal gain instead of doing what they are supposed to do.
"The scandal revealed widespread corruption within the police force when officers took bribes to ignore crimes."
Usage: Corruption refers to dishonest conduct by those in power who abuse their position for personal gain. Use this term specifically when describing systemic bribery or ethical violations rather than general decay or corruption of data.
The word entered English via the French term corruption, which itself comes from the Latin corruptio. In its original form, it referred specifically to the act of being corrupted or spoiled.