late 14c., depraven, "corrupt, lead astray, pervert," from Old French depraver "to pervert; accuse" (14c.) and directly from Latin depravare "distort, disfigure;" figuratively "to pervert, seduce, corrupt," from de- "completely" (see de-) + pravus "crooked," which is of unknown etymology. Related: Depraved; depraving.

"state of being depraved, corruption, degeneracy," 1640s; see deprave + -ity. Earlier in same sense was pravity. In theology, "hereditary tendency of humanity to commit sin" (1757).

1560s, "act of becoming bad or worse;" 1570s, "depraved or corrupt quality or character," from Latin depravationem (nominative depravatio) "a perverting, distorting, corrupting," noun of action from past-participle stem of depravare "distort, disfigure; pervert, seduce, corrupt" (see deprave).

early 14c., "deprave, pervert, corrupt," from be- + shrew (v.) "to curse;" see shrew. The milder meaning "to invoke evil upon" is from late 14c. Related: Beshrewed; beshrewing.

mid-14c., "deprave morally, pervert from good to bad;" late 14c., "contaminate, impair the purity of; seduce or violate (a woman); debase or render impure (a language) by alterations or innovations; influence by a bribe or other wrong motive," from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpere "to destroy; spoil," figuratively "corrupt, seduce, bribe" (see corrupt (adj.)).

Intransitive sense of "putrefy, change from a sound to a putrid state" is from late 14c. Related: Corrupted; corrupting. In Middle English also corrumpen (mid-14c., along with corrumpcioun), from Old French corompre, from Latin corumpere.