Putrescible
/pjuːˈtrɛs.ɪbəl/noun
Able to decay or rot.
Did you know?Putrescible comes from Latin *putrescere*, “to begin to rot,” built on *putere*, “to stink,” so the word literally carries the scent of decay in its roots.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peu-
“to stink, rot, or become foul”
Latin
Latin
putere
“to stink, be rotten”
Latin
Latin
putrescere
“to begin to rot, grow rotten”
Late Latin
Latin
putrescibilis
“liable to rot or decay”
14th–15th Century
English
putrescible
“capable of rotting or decaying”
Modern English
English
putrescible
“able to decay or rot”