putrefaction
/ˌpjuːtɹəˈfækʃən/noun
putrefaction is spelled P-U-T-R-E-F-A-C-T-I-O-N: 12 letters. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 90,432nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, putrefaction means “The act of causing to rot; the anaerobic splitting of proteins by bacteria and fungi with the formation of malodorous, incompletely oxidized products” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of putrefaction is putrefactions.
How many letters and syllables are in putrefaction?
| Letters | 12: P-U-T-R-E-F-A-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 90,432nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is putrefaction?
Putrefaction appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 90,432nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce putrefaction?
- /ˌpjuːtɹəˈfækʃən/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-putrefaction.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of putrefaction
- putrefactions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does putrefaction mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of causing to rot; the anaerobic splitting of proteins by bacteria and fungi with the formation of malodorous, incompletely oxidized products.
- 2
Rotten material.
- 3
The state of being rotten.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Putrefaction in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the act of causing to rot:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | putréfaction |
| German | Fäulnis, Verwesung, Verrottung, Zersetzung, Putrefaktion, Putreszenz |
| Portuguese | putrefação |
| Spanish | putrefacción, podre, podredumbre, pudrimiento, podrimiento, podredura |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does putrefaction come from?
First attested between 1350 and 1400 from Middle English putrefaccioun, from Old French putrefaccïon, from Latin putrefactiō, from putrefactus, perfect passive participle of putrefaciō (“become rotten”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).