rot

[ rot ]
See synonyms for rot on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),rot·ted, rot·ting.
  1. to undergo decomposition; decay.

  2. to deteriorate, disintegrate, fall, or become weak due to decay (often followed byaway, from, off, etc.).

  1. to languish, as in confinement.

  2. to become morally corrupt or offensive.

verb (used with object),rot·ted, rot·ting.
  1. to cause to rot: Dampness rots wood.

  2. to cause moral decay in; cause to become morally corrupt.

  1. to ret (flax, hemp, etc.).

noun
  1. the process of rotting.

  2. the state of being rotten; decay; putrefaction: the rot of an old house.

  1. rotting or rotten matter: the rot and waste of a swamp.

  2. moral or social decay or corruption.

  3. Pathology. any disease characterized by decay.

  4. Plant Pathology.

    • any of various forms of decay produced by fungi or bacteria.

    • any disease so characterized.

  5. Veterinary Pathology. a bacterial infection of sheep and cattle characterized by decay of the hoofs, caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum in cattle and Bacteroides nodosus in sheep.

interjection
  1. (used to express disagreement, distaste, or disgust.)

Origin of rot

1
before 900; (v.) Middle English rot(t)en,Old English rotian, cognate with Frisian rotsje,Dutch rotten; (noun) Middle English, perhaps <Old Norse rot (perhaps partly derivative of the v.); cf. ret, rotten)

synonym study For rot

1. See decay.

Other words for rot

Opposites for rot

Other words from rot

  • half-rotted, adjective
  • un·rot·ted, adjective

Other definitions for ROT (2 of 3)

ROT

  1. rule of thumb.

Other definitions for rot. (3 of 3)

rot.

abbreviation
  1. rotating.

  2. rotation.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for rot (1 of 2)

rot1

/ (rɒt) /


verbrots, rotting or rotted
  1. to decay or cause to decay as a result of bacterial or fungal action

  2. (intr ; usually foll by off or away) to fall or crumble (off) or break (away), as from natural decay, corrosive action, or long use

  1. (intr) to become weak, debilitated, or depressed through inertia, confinement, etc; languish: rotting in prison

  2. to become or cause to become morally corrupt or degenerate

  3. (tr) textiles another word for ret

noun
  1. the process of rotting or the state of being rotten

  2. something decomposed, disintegrated, or degenerate: Related adjective: putrid

  1. short for dry rot

  2. pathol any putrefactive decomposition of tissues

  3. a condition in plants characterized by breakdown and decay of tissues, caused by bacteria, fungi, etc

  4. vet science a contagious fungal disease of the feet of sheep characterized by inflammation, swelling, a foul-smelling discharge, and lameness

  5. (also interjection) nonsense; rubbish

Origin of rot

1
Old English rotian (vb); related to Old Norse rotna . C13 (noun), from Scandinavian

British Dictionary definitions for rot (2 of 2)

rot2

abbreviation for
  1. rotation (of a mathematical function)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for rot

rot

[ rŏt ]


Verb
  1. To undergo decomposition, especially organic decomposition; decay.

Noun
  1. Any of several plant diseases characterized by the breakdown of tissue and caused by various bacteria or fungi.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.