To decay or decompose through bacterial action, or to gradually deteriorate or become corrupt.
From Old English rotian, related to Germanic roots meaning 'to decay'. The word has remained remarkably stable across centuries, maintaining both its literal sense of organic decay and metaphorical sense of moral corruption.
Rot is one of those primal words that cuts straight to our deepest fears about impermanence and decay. Yet without rot, life couldn't exist - decomposition returns nutrients to soil, making new growth possible. In many ways, rot is life's recycling system, turning endings into beginnings.
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