Corrupt means willing to act dishonestly in return for money or favours. A corrupt official, corrupt practices, corrupt to the core.
In computing the word means damaged rather than dishonest — a corrupt file has bits in the wrong places. The Latin means broken to pieces, and both senses come from that: a corrupt official and a corrupt file are each something spoiled.
1adjectivecorruptWilling to act dishonestly for money or favours.
“The corrupt police chief protected the drug gangs in return for cash.”
2adjectivedamagedDamaged, of data.
“I couldn't open the file because it was corrupt.”
corrupt is a quality of dishonesty, or of damage.
Latin corruptus is the past participle of corrumpere, to destroy or spoil — com-, together, plus rumpere, to break.
Proto-Indo-European
*Hrewp-
Latin
corruptus
Middle English
corrupten
English, today
corrupt
Built from
From Middle English corrupten, derived from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpō (“to destroy, ruin, injure, spoil, corrupt, bribe”), from com- (“together”) + rumpō (“to break in pieces”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA