putrefy

American  

[pyoo-truh-fahy] / ˈpyu trəˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

putrefied, putrefying

1. to render putrid; cause to rot or decay with an offensive odor.

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verb (used without object)

putrefied, putrefying

1. to become putrid; rot.

   Synonyms:

   spoil, decompose

2. to become gangrenous.

putrefy British  

/ ˌpjuːtrɪˈfækʃən, ˈpjuːtrɪˌfaɪ, ˌpjuːtrɪˈfeɪʃənt /

verb

1. (of organic matter) to decompose or rot with an offensive smell

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Other Word Forms

• putrefaction
  noun
• putrefactive
  adjective
• putrefiable
  adjective
• putrefier
  noun
• unputrefiable
  adjective
• unputrefied
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of putrefy

1350–1400; Middle English putrefien < Middle French putrefier < Vulgar Latin *putreficāre, for Latin putrefacere to make rotten

Explanation

When eggs rot, they putrefy or start to smell really, really bad. Putrefy is to begin stinking, usually when rotting or decomposing. When you describe something as putrid, it means it is foul or disgusting –– drinking Coke and milk together is gross. Add ketchup, and the cocktail becomes putrid. But technically, putrid, like putrefy, refers to the smell of something organic that has begun to decompose. Open the lid of your garbage can and you will smell the putrefying remains of your meals. Both putrid and putrefy share the Latin root of putr which you can remember by its first two letters — P. U.!

Example Sentences

Putrefy, pū′tre-fī, v.t. to make putrid or rotten: to corrupt.—v.i. to become putrid: to rot:—pa.t. and pa.p. pū′trefied.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various