Plural of bribery; multiple instances or types of corrupt payments or dishonest dealings.
From Middle English 'briberie,' derived from 'bribe' (originally meaning stolen goods or extortion) plus '-ery' (a state or system). The plural form emerged to discuss multiple acts of corruption.
Medieval 'bribe' actually meant stolen goods—a briber was someone you had to pay to get your stuff back! This shows how the word evolved from extortion and theft into the more general meaning of corruption.
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