ROT

[verb] -tt- - to (cause to) decayThe meat lay rotting in the hot sun. [I]Rain has got in and rotted (away) the woodwork. [T or M]Sweet foods rot your teeth and gums. [T]The room was full of the smell of rotting fruit.You should buy a bag of well-rotted manure and spread it on the garden.(figurative) She was left to rot (= left and forgotten about) in jail for most of her life. [I]