putrefaction
noun
- breaking down of a body of a human or animal post-mortem
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˌpjuːtɹəˈfækʃən/
noun
Etymology: First attested between 1350 and 1400 from Middle English putrefaccioun, from Old French putrefaccïon, from Latin putrefactiō, from putrefactus, perfect passive participle of putrefaciō (“become rotten”)
- The act of causing to rot; the anaerobic splitting of proteins by bacteria and fungi with the formation of malodorous, incompletely oxidized products.
- Rotten material.
- The state of being rotten.