Where does “corrupt” come from?
Corrupt comes from Middle English corrupten, from Latin corruptus, the past participle of corrumpere, formed from the prefix com- meaning "together" and rumpere meaning "to break."
corrupt (English): In a depraved state; debased; perverted; morally...
Definitions
- In a depraved state; debased; perverted; morally...
Ancestry of “corrupt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | corrupten | — |
| 2 | Latin | corruptus | perverted, corrupted; spoiled; contaminated |
| 3 | Latin | corrumpō | to pervert, corrupt, deprave or infect |
| 4 | Latin | rumpō | to break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrunépti | to be breaking |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewp- | to break, tear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrew- | to tear out, dig out, open, acquire |