putrefaction
[pyoo-truh-fak-shuh n]
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
ruination, dilapidation, putrescence, dissolution, adulteration, decrease, extinction, disintegration, fading, decadence, decline, mortification, senescence, consumption, rot, ruin, downfall, decomposition, blight, impairment
Nearby words
- putnam-dana syndrome,
- putoff,
- putonghua,
- putrajaya,
- putrefacient,
- putrefactive,
- putrefy,
- putrescence,
- putrescent,
- putrescible
Origin of putrefaction
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web 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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
putrefaction
[pyōō′trə-făk′shən]
n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.