'putrescent' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'putrescens', the present participle of 'putrescere', where the root 'putr-' meant 'to rot' or 'decay'.

'putrescent' changed from the Latin 'putrescens' (present participle of 'putrescere') and entered English in modern form via Late Latin and borrowings from learned/Latin usage, becoming established in English by the 17th century.

Initially, it meant 'becoming rotten' or 'in the process of putrefaction'; over time the primary sense has remained, though it has also been used figuratively for moral or cultural decay.