Definition 1: To render or become putrid, rotten; to rot.

Usage 1: Today's word is a member of an imperfect word family. The 'mother' of this family is "putrid," the Latinate equivalent of "rotten." The noun for "putrid" is "putridity." The verb, however, is today's word rather than the expected "putridify." The adjective putrescent, which means "becoming putrid, putrefying," is also difficult to derive from "putrid" or "putrefy."

Suggested usage: "Putrefy" is a slightly more elevated expression for "rot," "I think we should do something with the tomatoes before they putrefy." It does serve metaphoric duty, "The morals of today's youth are putrefying no more nor faster than those of yesterday's."

Etymology: From Old French "putrefier" that devolved from Latin putrefacere "to rot" comprising puter, putr- "rotten" + facere "make." Related to Latin pus and Greek puon "pus." With the suffix "-l" the same PIE root, pu-, developed into English "foul" and, with the suffix "-gh" possibly "fog" via some intermediate stage such as Icelandic fuki "rotten seaweed" or Norwegian fogg "rank grass." For more on PIE, read "How is a Hippo like a Feather?" in yourDictionary's library. (Hoping you are not reading about such a 'rotten' word over dinner, we thank—I think—Rowena Forsyth and yourDictionary's South African friend, Chris Stewart for sniffing out today's word.)