decay
[ dih-key ]
/ dɪˈkeɪ /
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
to cause to decay or decompose; rot: The dampness of the climate decayed the books.
noun
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
5
putrefaction.
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
Words nearby decay
Example sentences from the Web for decaying
British Dictionary definitions for decaying
decay
/ (dɪˈkeɪ) /
verb
noun
Derived forms of decay
decayable, adjectiveWord 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 decaying
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.
Scientific definitions for decaying
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.