putrefaction vs decay

putrefaction and decay both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
putrefaction	Yes	No	No	No
decay	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, decay is a hypernym of putrefaction; that is, decay is a word with a broader meaning than putrefaction:

putrefaction: (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
decay: the process of gradually becoming inferior

As nouns, decay is a hypernym of putrefaction; that is, decay is a word with a broader meaning than putrefaction:

putrefaction (noun)	decay (noun)
moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles	the organic phenomenon of rotting
(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action	a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current
a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor	the process of gradually becoming inferior
	the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation
	an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying

putrefaction (verb)	decay (verb)
	fall into decay or ruin
	lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current
	undergo decay or decomposition