Meaning

noun a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor

noun (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action

noun moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles

originFirst 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”)

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0