corruption

1. dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery : the journalist who wants to expose corruption in high places.

• the action of making someone or something morally depraved or the state of being so : the word “addict” conjures up evil and corruption.

• archaic: decay; putrefaction : the potato turned black and rotten with corruption.

2. the process by which something, typically a word or expression, is changed from its original use or meaning to one that is regarded as erroneous or debased.

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