Putrefaction

//ˌpjuːtɹəˈfækʃən// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of causing to rot; the anaerobic splitting of proteins by bacteria and fungi with the formation of malodorous, incompletely oxidized products. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles wordnet
  3. 3
    Rotten material. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action wordnet
  5. 5
    The state of being rotten. countable, uncountable
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  1. 6
    a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
decompositionbreakdowncariescarrioncorruptioncorruption

Example

More examples

"The term sepsis as now used in clinical surgery no longer retains its original meaning as synonymous with “putrefaction,” but is employed to denote all conditions in which bacterial infection has taken place, and more particularly those in which pyogenic bacteria are present."

Etymology

First attested between 1350 and 1400 from Middle English putrefaccioun, from Old French putrefaccïon, from Latin putrefactiō, from putrefactus, perfect passive participle of putrefaciō (“become rotten”)

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.