rot

[ rot ]

/ rɒt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rot ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), rot·ted, rot·ting.

to undergo decomposition; decay.

to deteriorate, disintegrate, fall, or become weak due to decay (often followed by away, from, off, etc.).

to languish, as in confinement.

to become morally corrupt or offensive.

verb (used with object), rot·ted, rot·ting.

to cause to rot: Dampness rots wood.

to cause moral decay in; cause to become morally corrupt.

to ret (flax, hemp, etc.).

noun

the process of rotting.

the state of being rotten; decay; putrefaction: the rot of an old house.

rotting or rotten matter: the rot and waste of a swamp.

moral or social decay or corruption.

Pathology. any disease characterized by decay.

Plant Pathology.

any of various forms of decay produced by fungi or bacteria.
any disease so characterized.

Veterinary Pathology. a bacterial infection of sheep and cattle characterized by decay of the hoofs, caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum in cattle and Bacteroides nodosus in sheep.

nonsense.

interjection

(used to express disagreement, distaste, or disgust.)

Nearby words

Origin of rot

before 900; (v.) Middle English rot(t)en, Old English rotian, cognate with Frisian rotsje, Dutch rotten; (noun) Middle English, perhaps < Old Norse rot (perhaps partly derivative of the v.); cf. ret, rotten)

SYNONYMS FOR rot

1. mold, molder, putrefy, spoil. 9. decomposition, mold.

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ANTONYMS FOR rot

4, 6. purify.

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Related formshalf-rot·ted, adjectiveun·rot·ted, adjective

Synonym study

1. See decay.

ROT

rule of thumb.

rot.

rotating.

rotation.

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

Examples from the Web for rot

Gary has been broken for a while, and it looks like much of it has been left to rot.
Gary, Indiana Is a Serial Killer’s Playground|Justin Glawe|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the willingness to dump on British women in the name of Sharia law is a rot that runs up and down the length of society.
How Britain Made James Foley's Killer|Louise Mensch|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As ever, he talked too big (it was an election year) about withdrawing from Iraq with honor and all that rot.
GOP Iraq Hypocrisy Hits Overdrive|Michael Tomasky|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Biofuel” can be made out of anything that will ferment or rot, including digestive system waste products.
The Federal Government Has Violated My Right to Chainsaw|P. J. O’Rourke|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

After all, no one is taught to express themselves like this in school—so where does the rot set in?
Will Jargon Be the Death of the English Language?|The Telegraph|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Here you will rot in the grave and six brass buttons will be all that will be left of you.
Short Stories|Fiodor Dostoievski
We owe it to her that the family existence of England does not rot in mere inaction and peace.
Modern Women and What is Said of Them|Anonymous
And yet the ripening process is sometimes so slow that the frost of fear or the rot of regret spoils the fruit.
Analyzing Character|Katherine M. H. Blackford and Arthur Newcomb
From this account, and other sources, we find that Elias de Derham is first mentioned in the Rot.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Salisbury|Gleeson White
Oh, Nancy, what rot you talk every time you remember you had a year at college!
Sisters|Kathleen Norris

British Dictionary definitions for rot

rot

/ (rɒt) /

verb rots, rotting or rotted

to decay or cause to decay as a result of bacterial or fungal action

(intr ; usually foll by off or away) to fall or crumble (off) or break (away), as from natural decay, corrosive action, or long use

(intr) to become weak, debilitated, or depressed through inertia, confinement, etc; languishrotting in prison

to become or cause to become morally corrupt or degenerate

(tr) textiles another word for ret

noun

the process of rotting or the state of being rotten

something decomposed, disintegrated, or degenerateRelated adjective: putrid

short for dry rot

pathol any putrefactive decomposition of tissues

a condition in plants characterized by breakdown and decay of tissues, caused by bacteria, fungi, etc

vet science a contagious fungal disease of the feet of sheep characterized by inflammation, swelling, a foul-smelling discharge, and lameness

(also interjection) nonsense; rubbish

Word Origin for rot

Old English rotian (vb); related to Old Norse rotna . C13 (noun), from Scandinavian

abbreviation for

rotation (of a mathematical function)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rot

rot

Old English rotian "to decay, putrefy," from Proto-Germanic *rutjan (cf. Old Saxon roton, Old Norse rotna, Old Frisian rotia, Middle Dutch roten, Dutch rotten, Old High German rozzen "to rot," German rößen "to steep flax"), from stem *rut-. Related: Rotted; rotting.

rot

early 14c., from rot (v.) or of Scandinavian origin (cf. Icelandic rot, Swedish röta, Danish røde "decay, putrefaction"), from the root of the verb. Slang noun sense of "rubbish, trash" is from 1848.

Science definitions for rot