pu·tre·fac·tion

[pyoo-truh-fak-shuhn]
noun
1.
the act or process of putrefying; the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter by bacteria and fungi that results in obnoxiously odorous products; rotting.
2.
the state of being putrefied; decay.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin putrefactiōn- (stem of putrefactiō) a rotting, equivalent to Latin putrefact(us) (past participle of putrefacere to putrefy) + -iōn- -ion

pu·tre·fac·tive, pu·tre·fa·cient [pyoo-truh-fey-shuhnt] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To putrefaction
00:10
Putrefaction is an SAT word you need to know.
So is allocate. Does it mean:
to wipe out, do away with, expunge; to rub out, erase, or obliterate
To set apart for a particular purpose; assign or allot: Things that can be allocated are things that can be “spent”—money, time, energy, etc.
Collins
World English Dictionary
putrefy (ˈpjuːtrɪˌfaɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb , -fies, -fying, -fied
(of organic matter) to decompose or rot with an offensive smell
 
[C15: from Old French putrefier + Latin putrefacere, from puter rotten + facere to make]
 
putrefaction
 
n
 
putre'factive
 
adj
 
putrefacient
 
adj
 
'putrefiable
 
adj
 
'putrefier
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

putrefaction
c.1400, from O.Fr. putrefaction (14c.), from L. putrefactionem (nom. putrefactio), from putrefactus, pp. of putrefacere "to make rotten," from putrere "to be rotten" (see putrid) + facere "to make, do" (see factitious).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

putrefaction pu·tre·fac·tion (py&oomacr;'trə-fāk'shən)
n.

  1. Decomposition of organic matter, especially protein, by microorganisms, resulting in production of foul-smelling matter.

  2. Putrefied matter.

  3. The condition of being putrefied.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Here were gore-spattered battles and scenes of putrefaction and disease.
Neutral buffered formalin is used to stabilize protein in fresh tissue, and prevent autolysis and putrefaction.
It hinders and prevents fermentation, the souring of milk and the putrefaction of milk.
Damaged cells, through putrefaction, take the pressure off healthy cells allowing cell division or healing.
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