putrefaction

[ pyoo-truh-fak-shuh n ]

/ ˌpyu trəˈfæk ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR putrefaction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

the state of being putrefied; decay.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

putnam-dana syndrome, putoff, putonghua, putrajaya, putrefacient, putrefaction, putrefactive, putrefy, putrescence, putrescent, putrescible

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

Related formspu·tre·fac·tive, pu·tre·fa·cient

[pyoo-truh-fey-shuh nt] /ˌpyu trəˈfeɪ ʃənt/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for putrefaction

Under this head are also rightly ranked the phenomena of putrefaction.
Louis Pasteur|Ren Vallery-Radot
The element which I breathed appeared to have stagnated into noxiousness and putrefaction.
Arthur Mervyn|Charles Brockden Brown
It gives one a shock of surprise to see so rich a garb adorn those workers in putrefaction.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre
The Greenlanders consider extreme cold as favorable to putrefaction.
Library Notes|A. P. Russell

Experimentally he showed that the presence of the bacilli which produce lactic acid inhibited the process of putrefaction.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8|Various

Word Origin and History for putrefaction

putrefaction

c.1400, from Old French putrefaction (14c.), from Latin putrefactionem (nominative putrefactio), noun of action from past participle stem of putrefacere "to make rotten," from putrere "to be rotten" (see putrid) + facere "to make, do" (see factitious).

Medicine definitions for putrefaction

putrefaction

[ pyōō′trə-făk′shən ]

n.

Decomposition of organic matter, especially protein, by microorganisms, resulting in production of foul-smelling matter.

Putrefied matter.

The condition of being putrefied.