putrefy
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++pu·tre·fy /ˈpjuːtrəfaɪ/ verb (putrefied, putrefying, putrefies) [intransitive] formalHB if a dead animal or plant putrefies, it decays and smells very bad 〔死去的动植物〕腐烂 —putrefaction /ˌpjuːtrəˈfækʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
putrefy• Two days dead, the body was beginning to putrefy and the stench made both Benjamin and myself gag.Origin putrefy (1400-1500) Latin putrefacere, from putrere ( → PUTRID) + facere “to make”pu·tre·fy verbChineseSyllable
if a putrefies, animal plant or dead Corpus
putrefy
pu‧tre‧fy /ˈpjuːtrəfaɪ, ˈpjuːtrɪfaɪ/
verb (past tense and past participle putrefied, present participle putrefying, third person singular putrefies) [intransitive]formal if a dead animal or plant putrefies, it decays and smells very bad
—putrefaction /ˌpjuːtrəˈfækʃən, ˌpjuːtrɪˈfækʃən/ noun [uncountable]
▪ decay to be slowly destroyed by a natural chemical process – use this especially about natural things such as wood or plants, or about teeth: The leaves decay and enrich the soil. | He had bad breath and decaying teeth. | The fabric slowly began to decay.
▪rot to decay. Rot is less formal than decay and is more common in everyday English: The fruit was left to rot on the ground. | rotting teeth | Most of the wood under the paint had rotted. | the smell of rotting vegetation (=decaying leaves and plants)
▪go off British English if food goes off, it starts to smell bad and is no longer be safe to eat: I think the milk’s gone off. | The meat smells as if it's gone off.
▪spoil if food spoils, it starts to decay, so that it is no longer safe to eat. Spoil is more formal and is less common in everyday British English than go off: Food left in the sun will quickly start to spoil.
▪go mouldy British English, moldy American English to begin to have a soft green or black substance growing on the surface of the food, so that it is not good to eat any more: Ugh, the cheese has gone mouldy!
▪decompose formal to decay – use this especially about dead plants or flesh: leaves decomposing on the forest floor
▪putrefy formal to decay and have a very bad smell – use this especially about flesh or plants: After two days, the body was already beginning to putrefy. | putrefying meat
▪biodegrade to decay naturally into substances that do not harm the environment – use this especially about man-made materials and chemicals: Unlike many other materials, plastic does not biodegrade.
pu‧tre‧fy /ˈpjuːtrəfaɪ, ˈpjuːtrɪfaɪ/
verb (past tense and past participle putrefied, present participle putrefying, third person singular putrefies) [intransitive]formal if a dead animal or plant putrefies, it decays and smells very bad—putrefaction /ˌpjuːtrəˈfækʃən, ˌpjuːtrɪˈfækʃən/ noun [uncountable]
| THESAURUS |
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪