'corruptly-managed' originates from modern English, formed from the adverb 'corruptly' (itself from 'corrupt' + suffix '-ly') and the past participle 'managed' of 'manage'. 'corrupt' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'corrumpere', where 'com-' (intensive) and 'rumpere' meant 'to break/spoil'; 'manage' originates from Old French 'manegier' (also Italian 'maneggiare'), ultimately from Latin 'manus' meaning 'hand'.

'corrupt' changed from Latin 'corrumpere' to Old French 'corrompre' and eventually entered Middle English as 'corrupt'. 'manage' evolved from Old French 'manegier' (from Italian 'maneggiare') into Middle English 'manage'; the compound adjective 'corruptly-managed' is a modern English formation combining an adverbial modifier with a past participle.

Initially the roots meant 'to spoil/break' (from 'corrumpere') and 'hand/handle' (from 'manus' via 'manegier'); over time these developed into senses of 'morally spoiled' and 'handled/operated', producing the current meaning 'handled or run in a dishonest/corrupt way'.