Putrefier

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Something or someone that brings about the decomposition of organic matter, causing it to rot and decay
2. An agent such as a bacterium or fungus that makes dead material spoil and break down into foul-smelling decay
3. A thing that promotes putrefaction, turning flesh, food or other organic substances rotten through microbial action

Etymology: "Putrefier" is a plain formation: the verb "putrefy" with the agent suffix "-er" added, giving a noun for something or someone that makes things rot. The verb itself came into English from Latin "putrefacere," meaning to make rotten, built from "putris" (rotten) and "facere" (to make), so the noun simply names the agent of that action. The word follows the same pattern as other agent nouns that describe a thing doing the work of its verb.

Synonyms: decomposer