WordofTheDay.US

Added 9 October 2026

rot

/ɹɒt/ noun

Categories: Describing WordsActionsUncommon Words

In Latin: pūtrescō, putrefaciō, tābescō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rot at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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

verb

  1. Break down.
    The bodies decomposed in the heat
  2. Become physically weaker.
    Political prisoners are wasting away in many prisons all over the world

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: putrefactionmoulderwastehorseshitdogshitshitbullshitdecomposehogwashbunkumguff

Back to today's word