putrescine

/ pjuːˈtrɛsiːn; -ɪn /

noun

1. a colourless crystalline amine produced by decaying animal matter; 1,4-diaminobutane. Formula: H 2 N(CH 2 ) 4 NH 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of putrescine¹

C20: from Latin putrescere + -ine ²

Example Sentences

Not everyone wants to sniff the compounds known as putrescine and cadaverine — this particular sample isn’t as awful as you might think — but many eagerly take part in the final display.

From New York Times

Arginine is then converted to putrescine in the cytosol.

From Nature

Production of the molecules spermidine and putrescine becomes higher than normal.

From Nature

It turns out that death, in odor form, is indeed straightforward: a couple of relatively coöperative naturally occurring chemicals, putrescine and cadaverine, are responsible for the characteristic smell of a decaying corpse.

From The New Yorker

The aptly-named putrescine and cadaverine, produced by the body just after death, are what make the scent of a rotting corpse so smelly.

From Time