: a crystalline slightly poisonous ptomaine C4H12N2 that occurs in small amounts in virtually all living things
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe presence of salt slows this fermentation process, promoting lactic acid bacteria that defeat pathogens and such foul-smelling toxins as cadaverine and putrescine. Taras Grescoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2021
Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin putrescere
First Known Use
1887, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
putrescine
noun
pu·tres·cine -ˈtres-ˌēn
: a crystalline slightly poisonous ptomaine C4H12N2 that is formed by decarboxylation of ornithine, occurs widely but in small amounts in living things, and is found especially in putrid flesh