malversation
noun
mal·ver·sa·tion ˌmal-vər-ˈsā-shən 
1
: misbehavior and especially corruption in an office, trust, or commission
2
: corrupt administration
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 the French noun malversation, which was adopted by English speakers in the mid-16th century. Some other mal- words that entered English from Middle French are maladroit ("inept"), malcontent ("discontented"), and maltreat ("to treat badly").
Word History
Etymology
Middle French, from malverser to be corrupt, from mal + verser to turn, handle, from Latin versare, frequentative of vertere to turn — more at worth
First Known Use
1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1