malversation: M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for December 3 is:

malversation \mal-ver-SAY-shun\ noun
*1 : misbehavior and especially corruption in an office, trust, or commission
2 : corrupt administration

Example sentence:
The governor was finally convicted of malversation, after years of rumors about kickbacks and illegal contracts.

Did you know?
The form "mal-" is often a bad sign in a word, and "malversation" is no exception. In Middle French, "mal-" (meaning "bad," from the Latin word for "bad," "malus") teamed up with "verser" ("to turn, handle," from the Latin verb "vertere," "to turn ") to create "malverser," a verb meaning "to be corrupt." This in turn led to "malversation," which was adopted by English speakers in the mid-16th century. Some other "mal-" descendants are "maladroit" ("inept"), "malcontent" ("discontented"), and "maltreat" ("to treat badly").

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

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