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Webster 1913 Edition

Corruption

Cor-rup′tion

(k?r-r?p′sh?n)
,
Noun.
[F.
corruption
, L.
corruptio
.]
1.
The act of corrupting or making putrid, or state of being corrupt or putrid; decomposition or disorganization, in the process of putrefaction; putrefaction; deterioration.
The inducing and accelerating of putrefaction is a subject of very universal inquiry; for
corruption
is a reciprocal to “generation”.
Bacon.
2.
The product of corruption; putrid matter.
3.
The act of corrupting or of impairing integrity, virtue, or moral principle; the state of being corrupted or debased; loss of purity or integrity; depravity; wickedness; impurity; bribery.
It was necessary, by exposing the gross
corruptions
of monasteries, . . . to exite popular indignation against them.
Hallam.
They abstained from some of the worst methods of
corruption
usual to their party in its earlier days.
Bancroft.
☞ Corruption, when applied to officers, trustees, etc., signifies the inducing a violation of duty by means of pecuniary considerations.
Abbott.
4.
The act of changing, or of being changed, for the worse; departure from what is pure, simple, or correct;
as, a
corruption
of style;
corruption
in language
.
Corruption of blood
(Law)
,
taint or impurity of blood, in consequence of an act of attainder of treason or felony, by which a person is disabled from inheriting any estate or from transmitting it to others.
Syn. – Putrescence; putrefaction; defilement; contamination; deprivation; debasement; adulteration; depravity; taint. See
Depravity
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Corruption

CORRUPTION

,
Noun.
[L.]
1.
The act of corrupting, or state of being corrupt or putrid; the destruction of the natural form of bodies, by the separation of the component parts, or by disorganization, in the process of putrefaction.
Thou wilt not suffer thy holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16.
2.
Putrid matter; pus.
3.
Putrescence; a foul state occasioned by putrefaction.
4.
Depravity; wickedness; perversion or deterioration of moral principles; loss of purity or integrity.
Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1.
Corruption in elections is the great enemy of freedom.
5.
Debasement; taint; or tendency to a worse state.
Keep my honor from corruption.
6.
Impurity; depravation; debasement; as a corruption of language.
7.
Bribery. He obtained his suit by corruption.
8.
In law, taint; impurity of blood, in consequence of an act of attainder of treason or felony, by which a person is disabled to inherit lands from an ancestor, nor can retain those in his possession, nor transmit them by descent to his heirs.
Corruption of blood can be removed only by act of parliament.

Definition 2024

corruption

corruption

English

Noun

corruption ‎(countable and uncountable, plural corruptions)

  1. The act of corrupting or of impairing integrity, virtue, or moral principle; the state of being corrupted or debased; loss of purity or integrity; depravity; wickedness; impurity; bribery.
    • Henry Hallam The Constitutional History of England
      It was necessary, by exposing the gross corruptions of monasteries, . . . to exite popular indignation against them.
    • George Bancroft
      They abstained from some of the worst methods of corruption usual to their party in its earlier days.
    • 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion:
      But electric vehicles and the batteries that made them run became ensnared in corporate scandals, fraud, and monopolistic corruption that shook the confidence of the nation and inspired automotive upstarts.
    • 2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18:
      WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.
  2. The act of corrupting or making putrid, or state of being corrupt or putrid; decomposition or disorganization, in the process of putrefaction; putrefaction; deterioration.
  3. The product of corruption; putrid matter.
  4. The decomposition of biological matter.
  5. Bribing.
  6. (computing) The destruction of data by manipulation of parts of it, either by deliberate or accidental human action or by imperfections in storage or transmission media.
  7. The act of changing, or of being changed, for the worse; departure from what is pure, simple, or correct; as, a corruption of style; corruption in language.
  8. (linguistics) A debased or nonstandard form of a word, expression, or text, resulting from misunderstanding, transcription error, mishearing, etc.
  9. Something that is evil but is supposed to be good.
    • Francis Bacon
      The inducing and accelerating of putrefaction is a subject of very universal inquiry; for corruption is a reciprocal to generation.

Usage notes

  • Corruption, when applied to officers, trustees, etc., signifies the inducing a violation of duty by means of pecuniary considerations. — Abbott

Translations

Synonyms

Derived terms

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin corruptiō, corruptiōnem.

Noun

corruption f ‎(plural corruptions)

  1. corruption (act of corrupting)
  2. corruption (state of being corrupt)
  3. corruption (putrefaction)
  4. (figuratively) corruption (bribing)

Related terms

Anagrams

Old French

Alternative forms

  • corrumpcion
  • corrumption
  • corrupcion
  • corruptiun

Noun

corruption f ‎(oblique plural corruptions, nominative singular corruption, nominative plural corruptions)

  1. corruption (state of being corrupted)

Related terms

Etymology

From French corruption, from Latin corruptiō.

Similar Results