rot

[ rot ]

/ rɒt /

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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.)

OTHER WORDS FOR rot

1 mold, molder, putrefy, spoil.

9 decomposition, mold.

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OPPOSITES FOR rot

4, 6 purify.

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QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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)

synonym study for rot

1. See decay.

OTHER WORDS FROM rot

half-rotted, adjectiveun·rot·ted, adjective

Other definitions for rot (2 of 3)

ROT

rule of thumb.

Other definitions for rot (3 of 3)

rot.

abbreviation

rotating.

rotation.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use rot in a sentence

Their house, which has never been painted, is sagging and rotted and porous.
American Dreams: ‘Tobacco Road’ by Erskine Caldwell|Nathaniel Rich|April 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The beasts have rotted in their dung, the barns are destroyed, the storehouses are broken down: because the corn is confounded.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Once there had been a path to the road, but this was now overgrown, and the doorsteps had rotted away.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
Driftwood lined the shore, and a number of dead spruces, which had not yet rotted, furnished them with an ample supply of fuel.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith

Men rotted like sheep, and died at the feet of that Gold whom they stormed here in his fortress; and some alas met a worse fate.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade
At Charleston, South Carolina, they allowed the tea to be landed, but not sold; and it rotted in the cellars of the store-houses.
The Loyalists of America and Their Times, Vol. 1 of 2|Egerton Ryerson

British Dictionary definitions for rot (1 of 2)

rot¹

/ (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

British Dictionary definitions for rot (2 of 2)

rot²

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

Scientific definitions for rot

rot

[ rŏt ]

Verb

To undergo decomposition, especially organic decomposition; decay.

Noun

Any of several plant diseases characterized by the breakdown of tissue and caused by various bacteria or fungi.