LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

corrumpō

corrumpō (present infinitive corrumpere, perfect active corrūpī, supine corruptum)
Classical[kɔrˈrʊm.poː]Ecclesiastical[korˈrum.po]
corruptus perf. pass. ptcp.№ 870 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. to pervert, corrupt, deprave or infect
    Et manifestātum est mihi quoniam bona sunt quae corrumpuntur.And it was made clear to me that all things are good even if they are corrupted.397 CE – 401 CE, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis, Confessiones 7.12.18
  2. to gain to oneself by gifts, etc.; bribe
  3. to spoil or rot
  4. to taint or contaminate
  5. to tempt or seduce

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

pecūniā occultā animum alicuius mūtō, ut malum faciat.
corrumpō -ere -rūpī — in Mille Verba, Basilica et Iūs

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Depravare · Corrumpere

Depravare denotes to make anything relatively worse, provided it is still susceptible of amendment, as being merely perverted from its proper use; whereas corrumpere denotes to make anything absolutely bad and useless, so that it is not susceptible of amendment, as being completely spoilt. (v. 321.)

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.corrumpōcorrumpēbamcorrumpamcorrūpīcorrūperamcorrūperō
2nd sg.corrumpiscorrumpēbāscorrumpēscorrūpistīcorrūperāscorrūperis
3rd sg.corrumpitcorrumpēbatcorrumpetcorrūpitcorrūperatcorrūperit
1st pl.corrumpimuscorrumpēbāmuscorrumpēmuscorrūpimuscorrūperāmuscorrūperimus
2nd pl.corrumpitiscorrumpēbātiscorrumpētiscorrūpistiscorrūperātiscorrūperitis
3rd pl.corrumpuntcorrumpēbantcorrumpentcorrūpērunt
corrūpēre		corrūperantcorrūperint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.corrumpamcorrumperemcorrūperimcorrūpissem
2nd sg.corrumpāscorrumperēscorrūperīscorrūpissēs
3rd sg.corrumpatcorrumperetcorrūperitcorrūpisset
1st pl.corrumpāmuscorrumperēmuscorrūperīmuscorrūpissēmus
2nd pl.corrumpātiscorrumperētiscorrūperītiscorrūpissētis
3rd pl.corrumpantcorrumperentcorrūperintcorrūpissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.corrumporcorrumpēbarcorrumpar
2nd sg.corrumperis
corrumpere		corrumpēbāris
corrumpēbāre		corrumpēris
corrumpēre
3rd sg.corrumpiturcorrumpēbāturcorrumpētur
1st pl.corrumpimurcorrumpēbāmurcorrumpēmur
2nd pl.corrumpiminīcorrumpēbāminīcorrumpēminī
3rd pl.corrumpunturcorrumpēbanturcorrumpentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.corrumparcorrumperer
2nd sg.corrumpāris
corrumpāre		corrumperēris
corrumperēre
3rd sg.corrumpāturcorrumperētur
1st pl.corrumpāmurcorrumperēmur
2nd pl.corrumpāminīcorrumperēminī
3rd pl.corrumpanturcorrumperentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.corrumpecorrumpere
pres. 2nd pl.corrumpitecorrumpiminī
fut. 2nd sg.corrumpitōcorrumpitor
fut. 3rd sg.corrumpitōcorrumpitor
fut. 2nd pl.corrumpitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.corrumpuntōcorrumpuntor
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivecorrumperecorrumpī
perfect infinitivecorrūpissecorruptum esse
future infinitivecorruptūrum essecorruptum īrī
present participlecorrumpēns—
perfect participle—corruptus
corrupta, corruptā, corruptae, corruptam, corruptārum, corruptās, corrupte, corruptī, corruptīs, corruptō, corruptōrum, corruptōs
future participlecorruptūrus
corruptūra, corruptūrā, corruptūrae, corruptūram, corruptūrārum, corruptūrās, corruptūre, corruptūrī, corruptūrīs, corruptūrō, corruptūrōrum, corruptūrōs, corruptūrum		corrumpendus
corrumpundus, corrumpenda, corrumpendā, corrumpendae, corrumpendam, corrumpendārum, corrumpendās, corrumpende, corrumpendīs, corrumpendōrum, corrumpendōs, corrumpunda, corrumpundā, corrumpundae, corrumpundam, corrumpundārum, corrumpundās, corrumpunde, corrumpundī, corrumpundīs, corrumpundō, corrumpundōrum, corrumpundōs, corrumpundum
gerundcorrumpendī, corrumpendō, corrumpendumsupinecorruptum, corruptū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

corrumpi, depravari
to be demoralised, corrupted.
mores corrupti or perditi
moral corruption (not corruptela morum).
voluptatis blanditiis corrumpi
to be led astray, corrupted by the allurements of pleasure.
tam perditis or corruptis moribus
amongst such moral depravity.
consuetudo vitiosa et corrupta (opp. pura et incorrupta) sermonis
incorrect usage.

cor-rumpo (conr-), rūpi, ruptum (rumptum), 3, v. a. (orig.,
I. to break to pieces; hence),
I. To destroy, ruin, waste, bring to naught (class., but less freq. than in the signif. II.].
A. Lit.: reliquum frumentum flumine atque incendio corruperunt, Caes. B. G. 7, 55: domum et semet igni conrumpunt, Sall. J. 76, 6; cf.: plura igni, id. ib. 92, 3; 92, 8: res familiares, id. ib. 64, 5: ungues dentibus, i. e. to bite, Prop. 2, 4, 3 (13).—
B. Trop.: diem, Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 31: animo malest: corrupta sum atque absumpta sum, id. Am. 5, 1, 6: se suasque spes, Sall. J. 33, 4: illos dubitando et dies prolatando magnas opportunitates corrumpere, to lose, id. C. 43, 3: consilia, Vell. 2, 57, 3: libertatem, Tac. A. 1, 75: foedera, Sil. 12, 303: omnem prospectum, id. 5, 34 al.—
II. With regard to the physical or moral quality of an object, to corrupt, mar, injure, spoil, adulterate, make worse, etc. (very freq., and class. in prose and poetry).
A. Lit.: corrumpitur jam cena, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 102; so, prandium, Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 49: conclusa aqua facile conrumpitur, Cic. N. D. 2, 7, 20; cf.: aquarum fontes, Sall. J. 55, 8: corrupitque lacus, infecit pabula leto, Verg. G. 3, 481: coria igni ac lapidibus, Caes. B. C. 2, 10: ne plora, oculos corrumpis, Plaut. Merc. 3, 1, 3; cf.: ocellos lacrimis, Ov. Am. 3, 6, 57: artus febribus, id. H. 19 (20), 117; cf.: stomachum (medicamentum), Scrib. Comp. 137: umor ex hordeo aut frumento in quandam similitudinem vini corruptus, fermented, Tac. G. 23 init.: vinum in acorem corrumpitur, Macr. S. 7, 12, 11.—Poet., without the access. idea of impairing: ebur corrumpitur ostro, is stained, Stat. Achill. 1, 308.—
B. Trop. (so most freq.),
1. Of personal objects, to corrupt, seduce, entice, mislead: perde rem, Corrumpe erilem filium, Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 20; 1, 1, 27 sq.; cf. id. Bacch. 3, 3, 15: me ex amore hujus esse corrumptum, id. As. 5, 2, 33; Ter. And. 2, 3, 22: mulierem, id. Heaut. 2, 2, 2; cf. feminas, Suet. Caes. 50: (vitiosi principes) non solum obsunt, ipsi quod corrumpuntur, sed etiam quod corrumpunt, Cic. Leg. 3, 14, 32: quos (milites) soluto imperio, licentia atque lascivia corruperat, Sall. J. 39, 5; cf. id. C. 53, 5 et saep.—
b. In partic., to gain to one's self by gifts, etc.; to bribe, buy over, etc.
(a). With abl.: aliquem pecuniā, Cic. Off. 2, 15, 53; Sall. J. 34, 1: auro, id. ib. 32, 3: pretio, Cic. Caecin. 25, 72: turpi largitione, id. Planc. 15, 37: donis, Sall. J. 97, 2: muneribus, Hor. S. 1, 9, 57 et saep.—
(b). Without abl.: ne alios corrumpas, cum me non potueris, Nep. Epam. 4, 3; id. Lys. 3, 2 bis; Sall. J. 29, 2; Hor. S. 2, 2, 9 et saep.—
2. Of things as objects, to corrupt, adulterate, falsify, spoil, mar, etc.: litteras publicas, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 38, § 93: tabulas publicas, id. ib. 2, 2, 42, § 104; id. Rosc. Am. 44, 128: mores civitatis (opp. corrigere), id. Leg. 3, 14, 32; Quint. 1, 2, 4: disciplinam, Tac. H. 3, 49: fides, quam nec cupiditas corrumpat, nec gratia avertat, Quint. 12, 1, 24: totidem generibus corrumpitur oratio, quot ornatur, id. 8, 3, 58: nomen eorum paulatim Libyes corrupere, Sall. J. 18, 10; cf. Ov. F. 5, 195: multo dolore corrupta voluptas, imbittered, Hor. S. 1, 2, 39: gratiam, to forfeit, Phaedr. 4, 24, 18: (littera) continuata cum insequente in naturam ejus corrumpitur, Quint. 8, 3, 45; cf.: oris plurima vitia in peregrinum sonum corrupti, id. 1, 1, 13: quamvis sciam non corrumpi in deterius quae aliquando etiam a malis ... fiunt, Plin. Ep. 5, 3, 6: ineluctabilis fatorum vis consilia corrumpit, Vell. 2, 57, 3.—*
b. In partic. (acc. to II. B. b.), to bribe: nutricis fidem, Ov. M. 6, 461.—Hence, cor-ruptus (conr-, cŏrup-), a, um, P. a., spoiled, marred, corrupted, bad.
A. Lit.: caelum, Lucr. 6, 1135 Munro ad loc.; cf.: tractus caeli, Verg. A. 3, 138: aqua corruptior jam salsiorque, Auct. B. Alex. 6 fin.: iter factum corruptius imbri, Hor. S. 1, 5, 95 al.—
B. Trop.
1. Of the forms of words, mutilated, corrupted (opp. integer), Quint. 1, 5, 68.—
2. Bad, corrupt: quis corruptor juventutis, quis corruptus, qui? etc., Cic. Cat. 2, 4, 7: homines conruptissimi, Sall. H. 1, 48, 7 Dietsch.—Subst.: corrupta, ōrum, n., the spoiled parts (of the body), Cels. praef. § 43.—Adv.: corruptē, corruptly, perversely, incorrectly (very rare): judicare neque depravate neque corrupte, * Cic. Fin. 1, 21, 71: pronuntiare verba, in a mutilated manner, Gell. 13, 30, 9.—Comp.: explicare, Sen. Contr. 2, 9: intimi libertorum servorumque corruptius quam in privatā domo habiti, Tac. H. 1, 22; cf. 2, 12 Halm.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Latincorrumpō

Proto-Indo-European *Hrew-? Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *Hrunépti Latin rumpō Latin corrumpō From con- + rumpō.

Borrowings
  • Englishcorrupt
  • Germankorrumpieren
  • Frenchcorromprefrom Old French corrompre
  • Romaniancorupe
  • Normancorroumprefrom Old French corrompre
  • Swedishkorrumpera
Elsewhere
  • Frenchcourroucerfrom Vulgar Latin *corruptiāre
  • Italiancorrucciarefrom Vulgar Latin *corruptiāre
  • Italiancrucciarefrom Vulgar Latin *corruptiāre
  • Galiciancarraxefrom Vulgar Latin *corruptiāre
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalancorrompre
  • Occitancorrompre
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesecorromper
  • Spanishcorromper
  • Galiciancorromper
Italo-Romance
  • Italiancorrompere

Quick answers

What does corrumpō mean in Latin?
corrumpō, a verb, means “to pervert, corrupt, deprave or infect; to gain to oneself by gifts, etc.; bribe”.
What are the principal parts of corrumpō?
corrumpō, corrumpere, corrūpī, corruptum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce corrumpō?
In classical Latin, [kɔrˈrʊm.poː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [korˈrum.po].
Where does corrumpō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? → Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm → Proto-Italic *kom → Proto-Italic *kom- → Latin corrumpō.