9 letters · 13 points in Scrabble
noun a political scandal involving abuse of power and bribery and obstruction of justice; led to the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974
originFrom the name of the Watergate Hotel; the complex itself was named after the "Water Gate" area where symphony orchestra concerts were staged on the Potomac River between 1935 and 1965.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0