adjective
putrescent
pyoo-TRES-unt/pjuˈtrɛsənt/
Rotting and often foul-smelling.
A foul odor rises from the putrescent food in the bin.
Etymology
The underlying Latin verb means “grow rotten,” emphasizing decay in progress. The adjective may have been formed from putrescence or directly from the Latin participle, but either explanation preserves that developing-decay image.
In context
into the skin to make it look rotten or putrescent
More examples
- Workers wear masks as they remove the putrescent waste.
- The meat is putrescent and unsafe to eat.
- Flies gather around a heap of putrescent cabbage leaves.
Forms
putrescent
putrescence noun — The process or state of becoming rotten.