putrefaction

C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception

US /ˌpjutrəˈfækʃən/ UK /ˌpjuːtrɪˈfækʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the decay of organic matter accompanied by a foul smell

The stench of putrefaction hung over the abandoned slaughterhouse.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the decay of organic matter... decay rot decomposition spoilage corruptionrotting

Opposites

preservation freshness

Word family

Forms putrefactive

Related forms putrefy putrid putrescentputrescence

Etymology

From Old French putrefaction, from Late Latin putrefactio, from putrefacere ('to make rotten'), from putrere ('to rot') + facere ('to make').

putrefactio Latin putrere Latin *puH- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Senses & Perception Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# putrefaction

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌpjutrəˈfækʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌpjuːtrɪˈfækʃən/

## Meanings
1. the decay of organic matter accompanied by a foul smell

## Examples
- The stench of putrefaction hung over the abandoned slaughterhouse.

## Synonyms
- decay
- rot
- decomposition
- spoilage
- corruption
- rotting

## Antonyms
- preservation
- freshness

## Related Forms
- putrefy
- putrid
- putrescent
- putrescence

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: putrefactio
- Root: putrere
- Root: *puH-

## Etymology
From Old French putrefaction, from Late Latin putrefactio, from putrefacere ('to make rotten'), from putrere ('to rot') + facere ('to make').

## AI Etymology
Putrefaction is from Old French putrefaction, from Late Latin putrefactio, from putrefacere ('to make rotten'), from putrere ('to rot') + facere ('to make'). Important recorded forms include putrefactio (Latin), putrere (Latin), and *puH- (Proto-Indo-European). Morphologically, the word preserves a built structure whose named elements carry the historical sense into English. The modern sense remains close to that composition, with the parts narrowing into a single lexical item. In current use it covers the decay of organic matter accompanied by a foul smell. The wider family includes related words such as putrefy, putrid, putrescent, and putrescence.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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