soft rot

noun

: a mushy, watery, or slimy decay of plants or their parts caused by bacteria or fungi

Examples of soft rot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This jack-o'-lantern carved from a pumpkin with a preexisting fungal disease, southern blight, is showing symptoms of soft rot, especially around the nose and eye. Matt Kasson, CBS News, 10 Oct. 2022 Sometimes these split-open roots are attacked by soft rot bacteria. oregonlive, 9 Aug. 2020 Hot, humid weather causes a bacterial disease called vegetable soft rot. Prevent it by rotating crops and keeping soil loose. The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 30 Aug. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soft rot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of soft rot was in 1886

Dictionary Entries Near soft rot

Cite this Entry

“Soft rot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft%20rot. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on soft rot

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!