ROT
Rot, v. t.
1. To make putrid; to cause to be wholly or partially decomposed by natural processes; as, to rot vegetable fiber.
2. To expose, as flax, to a process of maceration, etc., for the purpose of separating the fiber; to ret.
ROT
Rot, n.
1. Process of rotting; decay; putrefaction.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A disease or decay in fruits, leaves, or wood, supposed to be caused by minute fungi. See Bitter rot, Black rot, etc., below.
3. Etym: [Cf. G. rotz glanders.]
Defn: A fatal distemper which attacks sheep and sometimes other animals. It is due to the presence of a parasitic worm in the liver or gall bladder. See 1st Fluke, 2. His cattle must of rot and murrain die. Milton. Bitter rot (Bot.), a disease of apples, caused by the fungus Glæosporium fructigenum. F. L. Scribner. — Black rot (Bot.), a disease of grapevines, attacking the leaves and fruit, caused by the fungus Læstadia Bidwellii. F. L. Scribner. — Dry rot (Bot.) See under Dry. — Grinder's rot (Med.) See under Grinder. — Potato rot. (Bot.) See under Potato. — White rot (Bot.), a disease of grapes, first appearing in whitish pustules on the fruit, caused by the fungus Coniothyrium diplodiella. F. L. Scribner.
ROTA Ro"ta, n. Etym: [L. rota wheel. The name is said to allude to the design of the floor of the room in which the court used to sit, which was that of a wheel. See Rotary.]