English vocabulary · C1
Putrefy
/ˈpjuː.trə.faɪ/ · v.
To putrefy is to slowly turn soft and dark after death. The old matter loses its shape and starts to smell very bad.
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Example sentences
- Fruit putrefied in the heat.
- Dead reeds began to putrefy underwater.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- putrefacere — make rotten (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- ROT — become bad with age (Common Everyday Word)
- DECAY — become worse over time (Slow Natural Change)
- DECOMPOSE — separate into natural parts (Separate Into Parts)
Similar words
- rot
- decay
- decompose
Lesson notes
To putrefy is to slowly turn soft and dark after death. The old matter loses its shape and starts to smell very bad.
Related: rot, decay, decompose. Use putrefy when dead matter smells bad.
Fruit putrefied in the heat. Dead reeds began to putrefy underwater.
From Latin. Putrefacere- means make rotten. Germs make old food rotten slowly; it starts to putrefy.