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.
Origin of putrefaction
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for putrefaction
ruination, dilapidation, putrescence, dissolution, adulteration, decrease, extinction, disintegration, fading, decadence, decline, mortification, senescence, consumption, rot, ruin, downfall, decomposition, blight, impairmentExamples from the Web for putrefaction
Historical Examples of putrefaction
Finding no matter liable to putrefaction to work on, it acts upon the best qualities of the flour, which it alters and corrupts.
The pews of the congregation are raised upon foundations of putrefaction.
The Stranger in FranceJohn Carr
But he did not and he could not know the meaning of putrefaction itself.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2John Tyndall
It is the month of July, and the weather is favourable to putrefaction.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2John Tyndall
It was cold and stiff, and putrefaction had already begun its work.
In Court and KampongHugh Clifford
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.