Etymology

putrefaction

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Today it means: The act of causing to rot; the anaerobic splitting of proteins by bacteria and fungi with the formation of malodorous, incompletely oxidized products. Full definition →

Middle English putrefaccioun ← Old French putrefaccïon ← Latin putrefactiō
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromputrefactiō
  2. Old French · derived fromputrefaccïon
  3. Middle English · inherited fromputrefaccioun
  4. English todayputrefaction

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”)

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.