putrefy
|put-re-fy|
🇺🇸
/ˈpjuːtrəˌfaɪ/
🇬🇧
/ˈpjuːtrɪfaɪ/
become/make rotten
Etymology
'putrefy' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'putrefacere' (putre- + facere), where 'putre-' meant 'to rot' and 'facere' meant 'to make or do.'
'putrefy' came into English via Old French/Medieval Latin forms (Old French 'putrefier' / Medieval Latin 'putrefacere') and entered Middle English as forms such as 'putrefien' before becoming modern English 'putrefy.'
Initially it meant 'to cause to rot' (to make rotten), but over time it has come to be used both transitively and intransitively to mean 'to rot' or 'to undergo decomposition,' including figurative senses of moral or cultural decay.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
putrefaction: the process or state of putrefying; the foul decomposition of organic matter.
The putrefaction of animal remains attracts scavengers and bacteria.
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Verb 1
to decay or rot, especially of organic matter, producing foul-smelling matter; to undergo decomposition by bacterial or fungal action.
After several days in the heat, the fruit began to putrefy and gave off a strong, unpleasant odor.
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Verb 2
to become morally or culturally corrupt or degraded (figurative use).
Some critics argued that the institution had begun to putrefy from within.
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Verb 3
past tense or past participle form of 'putrefy'.
The carcass had putrefied by the time the team arrived.
Last updated: 2025/12/26 11:17