See Also: corelative(dictionary)

rot(2) (iou) and corelative (iou)


rot(2) (iou)



rot verb & adjective.

A. verb. Infl. -tt-.
verb intrans. Of animal or vegetable matter: decompose by the action of bacteria, fungi, etc.; decay, putrefy; (of stone) disintegrate through weathering or chemical action. OE.
W. Morris Dead men rotting to nothing. E. Muir The red fruit..fell at last and rotted where it fell.
b. fig. Diminish, esp. towards extinction; decay morally or socially, become corrupt. ME.
Isaiah Berlin The western world..'rotting'..in rapid decay.
c. Of sea ice: thaw. N. Amer. L19.
verb intrans. Of a person: waste away, esp. because of imprisonment; languish in a place, esp. a prison. ME.
J. Dickey I saw myself..rotting for weeks in some county jail. P. P. Read The..officers investigating..decided to let him rot in self-imposed exile.
b. Of a sheep: develop the rot. E16.
verb trans. Cause (animal or vegetable matter) to decompose or decay; make putrid. Also (now arch. & dial.) in imprecations in imper. or optative form, expr. anger, irritation, impatience, etc. LME.
G. Heyer 'It's gone too far now. Rot that nephew of yours!' Embroidery Dyeing..with vitriol..often rotted the silk. A. Carter Rain has rotted all the corn.
b. fig. Spoil or ruin (an action, plan, etc.) Also foll. by up. slang. E20.
verb intrans. & trans. (Cause to) diminish or disappear by decomposition (foll. by away, down); (cause to) drop off through decomposition. LME.
Shakespeare Timon of Athens Thy lips rot off! F. Weldon Last autumn's chrysanthemum stems had..rotted away to slime. fig.: J. Galsworthy The nation is being rotted down.
verb trans. Cause (a sheep) to develop the rot. LME.
a. verb trans. Ridicule; denigrate. arch. slang. L19.
F. Donaldson 'We shall get rotted by those kids in Dexter's,' moaned Harvey.
b. verb intrans. Talk nonsense, joke; fool about. arch. slang. L19.
E. Waugh 'Do you play..well?'..' Do you really, or are you rotting?'
Comb.: rot-gut noun & adjective (slang) (designating) adulterated or inferior alcoholic liquor, esp. beer or whisky.
B. adjective. Rotten, rotted; decayed. L16-E18.
rotter noun (a) a thing which is rotting or which causes rot; (b) slang an (esp. morally) objectionable or reprehensible person: E17.

corelative (iou)



corelative adjective & noun. Also co-relative. M18.
[from CO- + RELATIVE.]
(A) correlative.
corelatively adverb L19.