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corruption

n.
US //kɝˈəpʃən// UK //kəɹˈʌpʃən// cor·rup·tion
  1. 1 dishonesty in power (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Law

    dishonest or illegal behavior by people with power, such as government officials or business leaders.

    the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, typically involving bribery, embezzlement, or nepotism.

    Example

    The mayor was arrested following a long investigation into government corruption.

    Example

    Widespread institutional corruption had eroded public trust in the judicial system, making it difficult for new reforms to take hold.
  2. 2 damaged computer data (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    errors in computer data that happen when a file is saved or sent incorrectly.

    the unintended alteration of data during transmission or storage, rendering the information unreadable or incorrect.

    Example

    The file wouldn't open because of data corruption on the hard drive.

    Example

    The database administrator implemented a checksum system to detect and prevent silent data corruption during the nightly backup process.
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  1. 3 moral decay (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Literary

    the state of losing your good character or moral principles.

    the impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle; a state of being morally debased.

    Example

    The book describes the moral corruption of a young man who only cares about money.

    Example

    The philosopher argued that the absolute pursuit of pleasure inevitably leads to the corruption of the human spirit.
  2. 4 language change (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Academic Technical

    a word or phrase that has changed from its original form in a way that is considered 'incorrect'.

    a nonstandard form of a word or expression resulting from misunderstanding, transcription errors, or phonetic shifts.

    Example

    The modern name of the village is actually a corruption of an old French word.

    Example

    Linguists noted that the term was a medieval corruption of the original Latin, likely due to a scribe's error in the fourteenth century.

    Usage

    Often used when discussing the etymology of place names or ancient texts.
Origin

Borrowed from French corruption, from Latin corruptiō, equivalent to corrupt + -ion.

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