putrefaction

American  

[pyoo-truh-fak-shuhn] / ˌpyu trəˈfæk ʃən /

noun

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

2. the state of being putrefied; decay.

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Other Word Forms

• putrefacient adjective
• putrefactive adjective

Etymology

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

Explanation

If you suspect that something in your yard is in a state of putrefaction, there's probably something stinky and rotten out there. The relatives of this word in English all resemble it and fit neatly into one meaning category, "rotten." The mother of them all is putrid, from Latin putris, "rotten." This leads to putrefy, which means "make rotten," and finally putrefaction, the process of rotting or a state of being rotten. The ending is -faction rather than -fication on the pattern of many nouns that have Latin facere in their pasts: benefaction, malefaction, and liquefaction — to name a few.

Example Sentences

“At death, virus replication stops and putrefaction and heat begins to neutralize live virus,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2024

The putrefaction of flesh caused many corpses to inflate.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2023

"He's in the putrefaction stage now, because of the water."

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2023

Roman's fans cite small acts of sensitivity and caring as evidence of goodness hiding inside his rotten core, struggling to escape the putrefaction.

From Salon • May 20, 2023

Our village was blessed for weeks with the smell of putrefaction.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver