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

Example Sentences

A: Obviously, meat will putrefy and smell awful.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2023

They attract rats, flies and other pests and tend to putrefy rather than break down, causing nasty smells, according to the Riverside County guide.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2020

By the time your meat would encounter enough bacteria to be able to "putrefy," it has long since been absorbed in the small intestine.

From US News • May 12, 2015

So anytime you encounter the term "putrefy" in a description of the digestive process, file it away under "scare tactic" rather than "scientific fact."

From US News • May 12, 2015

After several weeks, their skin began to putrefy and flake off.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden