putrefy
/ˈpjuːtrɪfʌɪ
/verb (putrefies, putrefying, putrefied) [no object]
(Of a body or other organic matter) decay or rot and produce a fetid smell: the body was beginning to putrefy (as adjective putrefying) the stench of putrefying corpses...
- Ganges water does not putrefy, even after long periods of storage.
- Raw meat putrefies because it is an ideal food for micro-organisms.
- As it putrefies and decays, your breath smells bad, your sweat smells bad, and your bowels smell bad.
Synonyms
decay, rot, decompose, go bad, go off, perish, spoil, deteriorate, fester, moulder;
gangrene, mortify
rare necrose, sphacelate
Origin
Late Middle English: via French from Latin putrefacere, from puter, putr- 'rotten'.