putrefaction

noun

pu·​tre·​fac·​tion ˌpyü-trə-ˈfak-shən 

1

: the decomposition of organic matter

especially : the typically anaerobic splitting of proteins by bacteria and fungi with the formation of foul-smelling incompletely oxidized products

2

: the state of being putrefied : corruption

putrefactive

ˌpyü-trə-ˈfak-tiv 

adjective

Synonyms

• breakdown
• corruption
• decay
• decomposition
• festering
• putrescence
• rot
• spoilage

Examples of putrefaction in a Sentence

clearing the refrigerator of what the previous tenant had left behind was like taking a course in the advanced putrefaction of leftovers

Recent Examples on the Web

Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century. —Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024

Not the smell of putrefaction, though the novel is littered with rotting corpses. —Nathaniel Rich, The New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2023

Gut bacteria, especially a class of microbes called Clostridia, spread through your organs and digest you from the inside out in a process called putrefaction. —Jennifer Debruyn, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2023

Once the body is out of sight underground, embalmed tissues eventually melt into a toxic putrefaction. —Joan Meiners, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Middle English putrefaccion, from Late Latin putrefaction-, putrefactio, from Latin putrefacere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

putrefaction

noun

pu·​tre·​fac·​tion ˌpyü-trə-ˈfak-shən 

1

: the rotting of organic matter

2

: the state of being putrefied : corruption

Medical Definition

putrefaction

noun

pu·​tre·​fac·​tion ˌpyü-trə-ˈfak-shən 

1

: the decomposition of organic matter

especially : the typically anaerobic splitting of proteins by bacteria and fungi with the formation of foul-smelling incompletely oxidized products

2

: the state of being putrefied