rotten
[ rot-n ]
/ ˈrɒt n /
adjective, rot·ten·er, rot·ten·est.
decomposing or decaying; putrid; tainted, foul, or bad-smelling.
corrupt or morally offensive.
wretchedly bad, unpleasant, or unsatisfactory; miserable: a rotten piece of work; a rotten day at the office.
contemptible; despicable: a rotten little liar; a rotten trick.
(of soil, rocks, etc.) soft, yielding, or friable as the result of decomposition.
Australian Slang. drunk.
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Nearby words
rototome, rotovate, rotproof, rotta, rotte, rotten, rotten apple, rotten borough, rotten egg, rotten ice, rotten to the core
Origin of rotten
1175–1225; Middle English roten < Old Norse rotinn, past participle of an unrecorded verb meaning “to rot”
SYNONYMS FOR rotten
Related formsrot·ten·ly, adverbrot·ten·ness, nounhalf-rot·ten, adjectiveun·rot·ten, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for rotten
British Dictionary definitions for rotten
rotten
/ (ˈrɒtən) /
adjective
adverb informal
extremely; very muchmen fancy her rotten
Derived Formsrottenly, adverbrottenness, noun
Word Origin for rotten
C13: from Old Norse rottin; related to Old English rotian to rot 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for rotten
rotten
c.1300, from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse rotinn "decayed," past participle of verb related to rotna "to decay," from Proto-Germanic stem *rut- (see rot (v.)). Sense of "corrupt" is from late 14c.; weakened sense of "bad" first recorded 1881. Rotten apple is from a saying traced back to at least 1528: "For one rotten apple lytell and lytell putrifieth an whole heape." The Rotten Row in London and elsewhere probably is from a different word, but of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper