MEANING
To decompose as organic matter breaks down, typically with foul odors and discoloration.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- putrefying tissue
- putrefy in the heat
On the page
The tissue putrefied beneath the sealed dressing.
Heat had putrefied the meat before the caravan reached the settlement.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- putrefy
- Past tense
- putrefied
- Past participle
- putrefied
- Present participle
- putrefying
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- putrefy
- Present continuous
- am/is/are putrefying
- Present perfect
- have/has putrefied
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been putrefying
- Past
- putrefied
- Past continuous
- was/were putrefying
- Past perfect
- had putrefied
- Past perfect continuous
- had been putrefying
- Future
- will putrefy
- Future continuous
- will be putrefying
- Future perfect
- will have putrefied
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been putrefying
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Forms: putrefy; putrefies; putrefied; putrefied; putrefying Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: putrefies.
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