putrescent (adjective)

1. The protagonist stumbled upon a putrescent corpse in the dark, abandoned cellar of the haunted mansion.

2. According to ancient mythology, the goddess of decay would bring putrescent plants to wither the forests and scare away the forest spirits.

3. In the dystopian future depicted in the novel, alien invaders introduced a putrescent virus that turned humans into mindless zombies.

4. In the animated series, the villain's lair was filled with jars of putrescent potions and foul-smelling concoctions.