Rotednesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of something that has decayed or gone putrid, an archaic Middle English term for rottenness
2. Archaic word for the state of organic matter having decomposed and become foul or spoiled
3. An obsolete noun describing the quality of decay, putrefaction, or spoilage in food, wood, or flesh

Etymology: Rotednesse is a Middle English formation: the past participle "roted," meaning decayed or rotten, plus the noun-forming ending "-nesse," the medieval spelling of the suffix that survives today as "-ness." The result names the condition of being rotten, so it describes decay as a state rather than any particular rotting thing. The base "roted" comes from the verb "roten," to decay, which descends from Old English "rotian." Because both parts are native English material, the word was built inside English rather than borrowed, and modern "rottenness" follows the same pattern of verb, participle, and suffix.

Synonyms: rottenness, decay, putrefaction, decomposition, corruption

Antonyms: freshness, soundness, wholesomeness