The decomposition of the body upon death which causes discoloration and the formation of a foul smelling product.
The disintegration or decomposition of a substance, often by purification* in heated moisture; the conversion of metal into apparently inert mass or powder. It is the property of putrefaction to destroy the old, original nature of a substance, and to introduce a new nature. Alchemical: Often represented as the the crow's head; crow's bill; ashes of Hermes' tree; toad of the earth; motification [a corps sometimes placed in a sepulchre, or on a bier, sometimes sekeltal];death of a grain of wheat; the slaying, or dismemberment ofa body or bodies; hell; Cimmerian darkness.
Biological decomposition of organic matter, with the production of ill-smelling and tasting products, associated with anaerobic (no oxygen present) conditions.
Putrefaction is the decomposition of animal proteins, especially by anaerobic microorganisms. Decomposition is a more general process. Putrefaction usually results in amines such as putrescine and cadaverine, which have a putrid odor.