A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1490, 1552, 1639
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Putrefactio(u)n, Putrifaccioune, n. [Late ME and e.m.E. putrifaccion (c1400), -ioun, putrifaction also putre- (1432–50), F. putréfaction (1314 in Larousse), L. putrefactiōn- noun of action f. putrefacere: see Putrefie v.] Putrefaction, rotting, decomposition. — 1490 Irland Mir. I 100/5.
This ark was maid of treis of sedyre, that had na putrifaccioune c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5169.
Thy vyle corruptit carioun Sall turne in putrefactioun 1639 Sc. Ant. III 134.
And [clayk geese] do hang by the beak till they be of putrefaction
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"Putrefaction n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/putrefactioun>
