释义 |
rot I. \ˈrät, usu -äd.+V\ verb (rotted ; rotted ; rotting ; rots) Etymology: Middle English roten, rotien, from Old English rotian; akin to Old High German rōzzēn to rot, Old Norse rotna to rot, Latin rudus rubble, broken stone — more at rude intransitive verb 1. a. : to undergo natural decomposition : decay as a result of the action of bacteria or fungi < causes the bones to rot > < rotting wood > b. : to become unsound or weak (as from extended use or chemical action) < the rich silk damasks … were the first to rot away — Sheila O'Callaghan > < ships rotting in the harbor > < rotting ice > 2. a. : to go to ruin : deteriorate < sent to die on some jungle island … or to rot there month after month — Irwin Shaw > < rot in jail > b. : to become morally corrupt : degenerate < a civilization that rotted and disappeared > 3. : to suffer from rot — used especially of a plant 4. chiefly Britain : to talk nonsense : joke < I know I did, silly, but I was only rotting — Strand Magazine > transitive verb 1. : to cause to decompose < the heavy rains rotted the wheat > < dampness had rotted spots of the plaster — Marcia Davenport > 2. : to affect (as sheep) with rot 3. : to cause to deteriorate : corrupt < infected with the same decay as had rotted other great civilizations of the past — F.H.Cramer > 4. : to expose (as flax) to a process of maceration for the purpose of separating the fiber : ret 5. chiefly Britain : to make fun of : tease < all felt that the family was being rotted — John Galsworthy > Synonyms: see decay II. noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Icelandic rot; akin to Old Norse rotna to rot 1. a. : the process of rotting or state of being rotten : decay, putrefaction < the rot begins as soon as the fish are killed > b. : something that is rotten or rotting < the moist ferny odors, the rot and ordure … filled their senses — Norman Mailer > 2. a. archaic : a wasting putrescent disease in people < then the rot returns to thine own lips again — Shakespeare > b. : any of several parasitic diseases that chiefly attack sheep and are characterized by tissue necrosis and progressive emaciation; specifically : liver rot 3. a. : social or spiritual deterioration or corruption < the creeping rot of the society to which he belonged — Times Literary Supplement > b. : confusion or disorder especially in a government organization < organize the affairs of … the little state and stop the financial rot — Stephen Spender > 4. : breakdown or decay of plant tissues caused especially by fungi or bacteria — see bitter rot, black rot, dry rot 5. : nonsense < talked rot about getting on in the world — A.H.Hawkins > — often used interjectionally to express disbelief or disgust 6. : the falling of several cricket wickets in quick succession III. abbreviation 1. rotary 2. rotating; rotation 3. rotten |