a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
"The old cheese had begun to rot, filling the kitchen with a foul smell that made everyone leave the room."
(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
"The damp wood on the porch began to rot after the rainy summer, making it soft and crumbly underfoot."
The process of becoming rotten; putrefaction.
"The rot was never found, so we had to rely on our own notes from that broadcast."
Initialism of record of transmission.
To suffer decomposition due to biological action, especially by fungi or bacteria.
"The old wooden fence began to rot after being left in the damp rain for weeks."
Abbreviation of refugee Olympics team. (country code for the team)
"The news report listed ROT as the country code when discussing the athletes from the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris Games."
The word "rot" comes from the Old English verb rotian, which meant to rot, become corrupted, or putrefy. It was inherited through Middle English and traces its roots back to Proto-Germanic.