decay

[ dih-key ]

/ dɪˈkeɪ /

verb (used without object)

to become decomposed; rot: vegetation that was decaying.

to decline in excellence, prosperity, health, etc.; deteriorate.

Physics. (of a radioactive nucleus) to change spontaneously into one or more different nuclei in a process in which atomic particles, as alpha particles, are emitted from the nucleus, electrons are captured or lost, or fission takes place.

verb (used with object)

to cause to decay or decompose; rot: The dampness of the climate decayed the books.

noun

decomposition; rot: Decay made the wood unsuitable for use.

a gradual falling into an inferior condition; progressive decline: the decay of international relations; the decay of the Aztec civilizations.

decline in or loss of strength, health, intellect, etc.: His mental decay is distressing.

Also called disintegration, radioactive decay. Physics. a radioactive process in which a nucleus undergoes spontaneous transformation into one or more different nuclei and simultaneously emits radiation, loses electrons, or undergoes fission.

Aerospace. the progressive, accelerating reduction in orbital parameters, particularly apogee and perigee, of a spacecraft due to atmospheric drag.

Origin of decay

1425–75; (v.) late Middle English decayen < Old North French decair, equivalent to de- de- + cair to fall < Vulgar Latin *cadēre, for Latin cadere; (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR decay

1 degenerate, wither; putrefy.

5 putrefaction.

7 deterioration, decadence, impairment, dilapidation, degeneration.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR decay ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for decay

1. Decay, decompose, disintegrate, rot imply a deterioration or falling away from a sound condition. Decay implies either entire or partial deterioration by progressive natural changes: Teeth decay. Decompose suggests the reducing of a substance to its component elements: Moisture makes some chemical compounds decompose. Disintegrate emphasizes the breaking up, going to pieces, or wearing away of anything, so that its original wholeness is impaired: Rocks disintegrate. Rot is a stronger word than decay and is especially applied to decaying vegetable matter, which may or may not emit offensive odors: Potatoes rot.

OTHER WORDS FROM decay

de·cay·a·ble, adjective de·cayed·ness

[dih-keyd-nis, -key-id-] /dɪˈkeɪd nɪs, -ˈkeɪ ɪd-/, adjective de·cay·less, adjective non·de·cayed, adjective

non·de·cay·ing, adjective re·de·cay, verb sem·i·de·cay, noun sem·i·de·cayed, adjective un·de·cay·a·ble, adjective un·de·cayed, adjective un·de·cay·ing, adjective

Words nearby decay

decathlete, decathlon, decating, decatur, decatyl alcohol, decay, decay chain, decay constant, decay series, decay theory, decay time

Example sentences from the Web for decay

Their decay proceeded without a ready supply of oxygen, producing hydrocarbons like methane instead of oxygen-bearing molecules.

Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas? |Matthew R. Francis |December 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Witnesses say there were at least six bodies piled together inside this one tiled room where the air is poisonous with decay.

Who Is Behind Gaza's Mass Execution? |Jesse Rosenfeld |August 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
In the summer heat, the smell of decay was beginning to spread.

In the Killing Fields of Ukraine with Children Who Saw the MH17 Horror |Anna Nemtsova |July 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Theaters were quickly abandoned, left to decay and sometimes destroyed.

Kabul's Major Motion Picture: Cinema's Rebirth in Afghanistan |Justin Jones |April 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

To begin with there is the general indifference to the decay of democracy.

George Orwell’s Letter on Why He Wrote ‘1984’ |George Orwell |August 12, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The decay of religion and the increase of superstition are among the most noteworthy of the social changes which I have seen.

Seeing and Hearing |George W. E. Russell
And the decay of the presentiment must have been hastened by the failure of so many presentiments to make good.

The Daughter of the Storage |William Dean Howells
It hastens the decay of vegetable matter, and the finer comminution of the earthy parts of the soil.

The Elements of Agriculture |George E. Waring
Their decay had been so rapid, that scarcely anything remained but the uppers.

Mad |George Manville Fenn
The decay of vegetation was popularly figured as due to the weakness of the god who produced the fertility.

The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria |Morris Jastrow

British Dictionary definitions for decay

decay

/ (dɪˈkeɪ) /

verb

to decline or cause to decline gradually in health, prosperity, excellence, etc; deteriorate; waste away

to rot or cause to rot as a result of bacterial, fungal, or chemical action; decompose

Also: disintegrate (intr) physics

(of an atomic nucleus) to undergo radioactive disintegration
(of an elementary particle) to transform into two or more different elementary particles

(intr) physics (of a stored charge, magnetic flux, etc) to decrease gradually when the source of energy has been removed

noun

the process of decline, as in health, mentality, beauty, etc

the state brought about by this process

decomposition, as of vegetable matter

rotten or decayed matter the dentist drilled out the decay

physics

See radioactive decay
a spontaneous transformation of an elementary particle into two or more different particles
of an excited atom or molecule, losing energy by the spontaneous emission of photons

physics a gradual decrease of a stored charge, magnetic flux, current, etc, when the source of energy has been removed See also time constant

music the fading away of a note

Derived forms of decay

decayable, adjective

Word Origin for decay

C15: from Old Northern French decaïr, from Late Latin dēcadere, literally: to fall away, from Latin cadere to fall

Medical definitions for decay

decay

[ dĭ-kā′ ]

n.

The destruction or decomposition of organic matter as a result of bacterial or fungal action; rot.

Dental caries.

The loss of information that was registered by the senses and processed into the short-term memory system.

Radioactive decay.

v.

To break down into component parts; rot.

To disintegrate or diminish by radioactive decay.

To decline in health or vigor; waste away.

Scientific definitions for decay

decay

[ dĭ-kā′ ]

Noun

The breaking down or rotting of organic matter through the action of bacteria, fungi, or other organisms; decomposition.

The spontaneous transformation of a relatively unstable particle into a set of new particles. For example, a pion decays spontaneously into a muon and an antineutrino. The decay of heavy or unstable atomic nuclei (such as uranium or carbon-10) into more stable nuclei and emitted particles is called radioactive decay. The study of particle decay is fundamental to subatomic physics. See more at fundamental force radioactive decay.

Verb

To undergo decay.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

decay

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of decay

SYNONYMS FOR decay

synonym study for decay

OTHER WORDS FROM decay

Words nearby decay

Example sentences from the Web for decay

British Dictionary definitions for decay

verb

noun

Derived forms of decay

Word Origin for decay

Medical definitions for decay

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for decay

Noun

Verb

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

decay

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of decay

SYNONYMS FOR decay

synonym study for decay

OTHER WORDS FROM decay

Words nearby decay

Words related to decay

Example sentences from the Web for decay

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for decay

verb

noun

Derived forms of decay

Word Origin for decay

Medical definitions for decay

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for decay

Noun

Verb

British Dictionary definitions for decay