putrefy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb become putrid; decay with an offensive smell
    • organic matter putrefies

WordNet

Pu"tre*fy transitive verb
Etymology
F. putréfier; L. putrere to be rotten + -ficare (in. comp.) to make; cf. L. putrefacere. See Putrid, and -fy.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Putrefied ; present participle & verbal noun Putrefying
Definitions
  1. To render putrid; to cause to decay offensively; to cause to be decomposed; to cause to rot.
  2. To corrupt; to make foul.
    Private suits do putrefy the public good. Bacon.
    They would but stink, and putrefy the air. Shak.
  3. To make morbid, carious, or gangrenous; as, to putrefy an ulcer or wound.
Pu"tre*fy intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To become putrid; to decay offensively; to rot. Isa. 1. 6.

Webster 1913