Putrefies

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To experience the breakdown or decay of organic material causing a foul smell due to microbial action or decomposition processes
2. To undergo a change whereby organic matter decomposes and emits unpleasant odors due to the activity of bacteria or fungi
3. To undergo decomposition that leads to the spoilage of organic substances, resulting in offensive odors from bacterial or fungal activity

Etymology: "Putrefies" is the third-person singular form of "putrefy," so it simply adds the "-s" ending to the verb. The verb came into English from Middle French "putréfier," which in turn grew out of the Latin "putrefacere," meaning "to make rotten." That Latin verb was built from "putris," "rotten," combined with "facere," "to make" or "to do," the same "-fy" element that appears in many English verbs such as "simplify" and "purify." The sense of the word has stayed close to its physical origin. Where Latin speakers used it of things literally turning rotten, English writers have kept it for the same process: flesh, plants and other organic matter breaking down under the action of microorganisms. The idea of making something rot is built into the word from the start, so the modern meaning is essentially the Latin one, applied to the bacteria and fungi that were unknown to the people who first used it.