rot

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
  2. noun (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
  3. noun unacceptable behavior (especially ludicrously false statements)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English roten, rotten, from Old English rotian (“to rot, become corrupted, ulcerate, putrefy”), from Proto-West Germanic *rotēn, from Proto-Germanic *rutāną (“to rot”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

putrefaction

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