How to say “corruption” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/שחיתות-1.m4a” /]שְׁחִיתוּת

The Hebrew word for corruption is שחיתות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/שחיתות-1.m4a” /], of the root ש.ח.ת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/שחיתות-2.m4a” /]. This root is very similar to ש.ח.ט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/שחיתות-3.m4a” /], which means slaughter. The connection between the two ideas isn’t too difficult to imagine.

Here’s שחיתות in context:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/שחיתות-4.m4a” /]מדינת ישראל מנסה להתנקות משחיתות.

The State of Israel is trying to cleanse itself of corruption.

Hebrew also has a term ארוחת שחיתות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/שחיתות-5.m4a” /] – literally, meal of corruption – referring to the kind of meal where cost, calories and consequences are utterly disregarded.