rotten

Meanings

Adjective

• Of perishable items, overridden with bacteria and other infectious agents.
• In a state of decay.
• Cruel, mean or immoral.
• Bad or terrible.

Adverb

• To an extreme degree.

Origin

• 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"), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rutāną ("to rot"). More at rot.
• Morphologically rot + -en.