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pourrir

rot, decay

verb poo-REER Less Common

Also means

spoil (food)

Usage Note

Pourrir is an irregular -ir verb conjugated like finir in the present (il pourrit) but its past participle is pourri. The adjective pourri (rotten, corrupt) is widely used both literally (du bois pourri — rotten wood) and figuratively (un système pourri — a corrupt system). The noun pourriture means rot or decay.

Examples

"Les fruits pourrissent vite sous la chaleur."

Natural Translation

Fruit rots quickly in the heat.

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