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Added 9 October 2026

rotten

/ˈɹɒtn̩/ adjective

In Latin: puter, putris, cariōsus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rotten at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Of perishable items, overridden with bacteria and other infectious agents.
If you leave a bin unattended for a few weeks, the rubbish inside will turn rotten.
In a state of decay.
The floors were damaged and the walls were rotten.
Cruel, mean or immoral.
That man is a rotten father.

adverb

To an extreme degree.
That kid is spoilt rotten.

Origin

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”). See rot. By surface analysis, rot + -en (past participle).

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

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