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Do such words as 'decay', 'decompose', or 'rot' have the implication of unpleasant state and bad smell or is it just 'putrid' that does? You know, when looking up in a dictionary, I came to realize that they have all been defined almost as 'turned into simpler elements', and it's just putrid that has the definition 'decaying and giving off bad smell'.
It is a matter of nuance. Often the concepts of decay and decomposition are associated with bad odors. But perhaps not always. Context would dictate the association with odor. In some scientific and academic contexts these words are used clinically without any reference to odor, and often without value judgment.
Radioactive decay / radioactive decomposition / voltage decay / orbital decay have no odor associated with them. Neither does algebraic decomposition, polynomial decomposition, or cultural decay.
However, "decomp" is forensic slang for a decomposing body or for the odor of same.
In my mind, rot has a stronger association with odor then decay or decomposition, which can refer to more clinical processes that don't involve odor.
But the adjective putrid is quite strongly associated with actual or virtual foul smell and offensiveness, as is the verb putrefy.
Totally agree with Glenn about context. If the words you ask about are associated with a biological process, then yes, unpleasant odors are usually involved. But all these words have alternative applications, many examples of which Glenn provided.
Regarding "rot," the association with odor is indeed stronger. However, there are exceptions for that word too:
1. The nylon tow rope had been exposed to the Sun, and its fibers were starting to rot.
2. After several years of installing and uninstalling software, most computers exhibit symptoms of OS rot. (OS = operating system)
Also, in its adjective form, one often hears this use: "Taking her chair when she got up was a rotten thing to do." Here "rotten" is used as a synonym for "bad."
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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