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decay Definition

de·cay (dē kā′, di-)

intransitive verb

  1. to lose strength, soundness, health, beauty, prosperity, etc. gradually; waste away; deteriorate
  2. to rot or decompose
  3. to undergo radioactive disintegration spontaneously

Etymology: ME decaien < Anglo-Fr & OFr decäir < VL *decadere: see decadence

transitive verb

to cause to decay

noun

  1. a gradual decline; deterioration
  2. a wasting away
  3. a rotting or decomposing, as of vegetable matter
    1. rottenness
    2. decayed or rotted matter
    1. the spontaneous disintegration of radioactive atoms with a resulting decrease in their number
    2. the spontaneous disintegration of a particle or nucleus, as a meson, baryon, etc., as it changes into a more stable state

decay Synonyms

decay

n.

  1. A progressive worsening

    decline, decomposition, collapse, degeneracy, downfall, decadence, depreciation, decrease, consumption, corruption, spoilage, spoiling, rotting, retrogradation, wasting away, retrogression, degeneration, gradual crumbling, disrepair, loss of health, loss of strength, weakening, senescence, deterioration, breakdown, failure, ruination, extinction, progressive decline, dilapidation, dissolution, disintegration, decrepitude, ruin, crumbling, waste, breakup, corrosion, impairment, discoloration, reduction, wear and tear, falling off, failing, pejority; see also sense 2.

    Antonyms improvement*, increase*, preservation. *

  2. Decomposition

    disintegration, putrefaction, corruption, adulteration, rot, rottenness, breakup, spoilage, carrion, putrescence, putridity, decrepitude, mold, rust, corrosion, oxidation, dry rot, black rot, caries, spur, atrophy, emaciation, blight, marasmus, gangrene, mildew, biodegredation, deliquescence, ravages of time*, way of all flesh*; see also sense 1.

    Antonyms growth*, germination, freshness.

decay Synonyms

decay

v.

spoil, blight, go to seed, fade, be impaired, rot, wither, molder, crumble, disintegrate, break down, turn, break up, curdle, discolor, mold, mildew, dry-rot, rust, corrupt, corrode, putrefy, putresce, decompose, biodegrade, deliquesce, degenerate, become tainted, become contaminated, collapse, shrivel, atrophy, pejorate, suppurate, decline, depreciate, deteriorate, worsen, sink, go bad, fall off, fall apart, fall into decay, fall away, fall to pieces, slump, fade away, wear away, erode, eat away, get worse, lessen, fail, sicken, weaken, waste away, go from bad to worse, touch bottom, slow down, thin out, go to rack and ruin, fall on evil days, go to the dogs*, hit the skids*, go to pot*, die on the vine*, reach a new low*, reach the depths*, hit rock bottom*; see also die 1, 2, 3.

Antonyms clean*, refresh*, purify.

decay implies gradual, often natural, deterioration from a normal or sound condition his teeth have begun to decay; rot refers to the decay of organic, esp. vegetable, matter, caused by bacteria, fungi, etc. rotting apples; putrefy suggests the offensive, foul-smelling rotting of animal matter bodies putrefying in the fields; spoil is the common informal word for the decay of foods fish spoils quickly in summer; molder suggest a slow, progressive, crumbling decay old buildings molder away; disintegrate implies the breaking up of something into parts or fragments so that the wholeness of the original is destroyed the sunken ship gradually disintegrated; decompose suggests the breaking up or separation of something into its component elements a decomposing chemical compound: it is also a somewhat euphemistic substitute for rot and putrefy

decay Usage Examples

Object

  • vegetation: Slowly decaying vegetation gradually builds up a series of layers in the open water, eventually forming solid ground.
  • stump: Often the nest is built over a decaying tree stump which, along with other decaying organic matter, provides heat.
  • corpse: There had been a resurrection - a recreation - not a mere resuscitation of an old decaying corpse.
  • tooth: This may be due to poor tooth brushing or decayed teeth.

Preposition: into

dentine: Table 4 Skewed distribution of decay ( decay defined as decay into dentine ).

Adjective modifier

  • radioactive: The rate of radioactive decay is an example of 1st order kinetics.
  • dentinal: All categories of dentinal decay ( C1, C2, C3 and C4 ) are included in this measure.
  • exponential: Second, we use of the word " decreasing " for exponential decay.
  • dental: Here are six facts: More people lose teeth due to gum disease than to dental decay.
  • unrestorable: Table G2 gives the breakdown, by Health Board, for surfaces affected by unrestorable decay, total dentinal decay and fillings.
  • untreated: More than half of all five year olds in the area have untreated dental decay.

Modifies a noun

exponent: Figure 4 shows the effect of smoothing using quadratic generalization with a kernel of 1.25km and distance decay exponent of -1.0.

Noun used with modifier

  • tooth: Plain water doesn't cause tooth decay or erosion.
  • tau: The tau decays and quark hadronization are performed, respectively, with the help of the dedicated packages TAUOLA and JETSET.
  • radon: The attraction of radon decay products to sources of power frequency electric fields has been demonstrated by Henshaw et al ( 1996 ).
  • alpha: Also provided is an animated glossary of nuclear terms ranging from alpha decay to X-rays, many with clickable links to animated diagrams.
  • timber: Dealing with timber decay in a Grade 1 listed building will be a somewhat different proposition from a modern town house.
  • proton: If the proton had a mean life of years, how many proton decays would there be per day in the detector?

Preposition: of

  • uranium: Radon gas concentrations, formed from the progressive decay of uranium 238, may be high enough to pose a serious health hazard.
  • isotope: Similarly, the decay of radioactive isotopes could not provide the necessary heat, says Binzel: " It's a wonderful mystery.