Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

putrefaction

American  
[pyoo-truh-fak-shuhn] / ˌpyu trəˈfæk ʃən /

noun

  1. the act or process of putrefying; the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter by bacteria and fungi that results in obnoxiously odorous products; rotting.

  2. the state of being putrefied; decay.

Other Word Forms

  • putrefacient adjective
  • putrefactive adjective

Etymology

Origin of putrefaction

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin putrefactiōn- (stem of putrefactiō ) a rotting, equivalent to Latin putrefact ( us ) (past participle of putrefacere to putrefy ) + -iōn- -ion

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.