rotten
English
Etymology
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”). More at rot.
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɒtən
Adjective
rotten (comparative rottener or more rotten, superlative rottenest or most rotten)
- 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.
- His mouth stank and his teeth were rotten.
- Cruel, mean or immoral.
- That man is a rotten father.
- This rotten policy will create more injustice in this country.
- Bad or terrible.
- Why is the weather always rotten in this city?
- It was a rotten idea to take the boat out today.
- She has the flu and feels rotten.
Usage notes
- Nouns to which "rotten" is often applied: wood, food, egg, meat, fruit, tomato, apple, banana, milk, vegetable, stuff, tooth, smell, person, kid, bastard, scoundrel, weather.
Translations
decayed, gone bad
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mean
Adverb
rotten (comparative more rotten, superlative most rotten)
- To an extreme degree.
- That kid is spoilt rotten.
- The girls fancy him something rotten.
Anagrams
Dutch
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch rotten, reformed from earlier roten, from Old Dutch *roton, from Proto-Germanic *rutāną.
Verb
rotten
Conjugation
Conjugation of rotten (weak)
| infinitive | rotten | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | rot | rotte | ||
| 2nd person singular | rot | rotte | ||
| 3rd person singular | rot | rotte | ||
| plural | rotten | rotten | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | rotte | rotte | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | rotten | rotten | ||
| imperative sing. | rot | |||
| imperative plur.1 | rot | |||
| participles | rottend | (hebben) gerot | ||
| 1)Archaic. | ||||
Derived terms
- doorrotten
- verrotten
- wegrotten
Etymology 2
Noun
rotten