decay (dɪˈkeɪ
)
Definitions
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
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
Alternative Forms
deˈcayable adjectiveWord Origin
C15: from Old Northern French decaïr, from Late Latin dēcadere, literally: to fall away, from Latin cadere to fallSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
rot,
break down,
disintegrate,
spoil,
crumble,
deteriorate,
perish,
degenerate,
fester,
decompose,
mortify,
moulder,
go bad,
putrefy,
=
decline,
sink,
break down,
diminish,
dissolve,
crumble,
deteriorate,
fall off,
dwindle,
lessen,
wane,
disintegrate,
degenerate,
Translations
- British English:
decay
When something such as a dead body, a dead plant, or a tooth decays, it is gradually destroyed by a natural process.You need to protect your teeth from decaying.dɪˈkeɪ VERB You need to protect your teeth from decaying.
- Spanish:
deteriorarse
v
- French:
se décomposer
vi
- German:
verfallen
v
- Chinese: 腐烂 v
- Arabic: يَتَعَفَّنُ v
- Portuguese: decair v
- Russian: разлагаться v
- Croatian: raspadati se v
- Czech: hnití nnt
- Danish: forfalde v
- Dutch: vervallen v
- Finnish: mädäntyä v
- Greek: αποσυντίθεμαι v
- Italian: decomporsi v
- Japanese: 衰える v
- Korean: 썩다 v
- Norwegian: forfalle v
- Polish: stracić siły v tracić siły
- Brazilian Portuguese: decair v
- European Spanish:
deteriorarse
v
- Swedish: förfall nnt
- Thai: เน่าเปื่อย v
- Turkish: çürümek v
- Vietnamese: suy sụp v
Usage examples
The wind was chilly and yet heavy with an odour of cold decay.
, THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2004)The silk should be moist and golden brown - not frizzled up, dark brown or showing signs of decay.
Toronto Sun (2003)Transgenic plants are then grown, which produce large amounts of the human antibody for tooth decay.
Independent (1999)It is a general reaction and is usually expressed as degeneration of tissue and decay in the area where pain was suppressed.
, Holistic Reflexology (1989)