rotten
Meaning
-
- Of perishable items, overridden with bacteria and other infectious agents.
- In a state of decay.
- Cruel, mean or immoral.
- Bad or terrible.
- Of stone or rock, crumbling or friable; in a loose or disintegrated state.
- (slang) Very drunk, intoxicated.
Synonyms
smell bad
become bad
be bad
rotten smell
be decaying
poor quality
decaying rancid
strong-smelling
feeling unwell
worn-out aniquated
bad smell
bad-smelling
make old
Frequency
Hyphenated as
rot‧ten
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈɹɒtn̩/
Etymology
In summary
From Middle English roten, from Old Norse rotinn (“decayed, rotten”), past participle of an unrecorded verb related to Old Norse rotna (“to rot”) and Old English rotian (“to rot”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rutāną (“to rot”). More at rot. Morphologically rot + -en.
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Notes