Decay definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

decay in American English · 1. to lose strength, soundness, health, beauty, prosperity, etc. gradually; waste away; deteriorate · 2. to rot or decompose · 3. to ... EnglishDictionary Thesaurus WordLists Grammar EnglishEasyLearningGrammar GrammarPatterns EnglishUsage TeachingResources VideoGuides Conjugations Sentences Quiz Englishgrammar Englishcollocations Englishconfusables Englishidioms Englishusage Thematicwordlists English French German Italian Spanish Portuguese Hindi Chinese Korean Japanese Definitionof 'decay'    WordFrequency Share× Credits× decay (dɪkeɪ ) Wordforms:3rdpersonsingularpresent tensedecays ,presentparticipledecaying ,pasttense,pastparticipledecayed 1. verb Whensomethingsuchasadeadbody,adeadplant,oratoothdecays,itisgraduallydestroyedbyanaturalprocess. Thebodiesburiedinthefineashslowlydecayed.[VERB] Thegroundwasscatteredwithdecayingleaves.[VERB-ing] Synonyms:rot,breakdown,disintegrate,spoil MoreSynonymsofdecay Decayisalsoanoun. Whennotremoved,plaquecausestoothdecayandgumdisease. decayed adjective...decayedteeth. Synonyms:rotten,bad,decaying,wasted MoreSynonymsofdecay 2. verb Ifsomethingsuchasasociety,system,orinstitutiondecays,itgraduallybecomesweakeroritsconditiongetsworse. Popularcinemaseemstohavedecayed.[VERB] Congresshastrieddozensofapproachestorevitalizedecayingurbanandruralareas.[VERB-ing] Decayisalsoanoun. Thereareproblemsofurbandecayandgangviolence. MoreSynonymsofdecay COBUILDAdvancedEnglishDictionary.Copyright©HarperCollinsPublishers Video:pronunciationof decay Youmayalsolike EnglishQuizConfusables Synonymsof'decay' LanguageLover'sBlog FrenchTranslationof'decay' Translateyourtext PronunciationPlaylists Wordoftheday:'numbat' HindiTranslationof'decay' NEWfromCollins! EnglishGrammar CollinsApps WordFrequency decayinBritishEnglish (dɪˈkeɪ ) verb1. todeclineorcausetodeclinegraduallyinhealth,prosperity,excellence,etc;deteriorate;wasteaway 2. torotorcausetorotasaresultofbacterial,fungal,orchemicalaction;decompose 3. Also:disintegrate(intransitive)physicsa. (ofanatomicnucleus)toundergoradioactivedisintegration b. (ofanelementaryparticle)totransformintotwoormoredifferentelementaryparticles 4. (intransitive)physics (ofastoredcharge,magneticflux,etc)todecreasegraduallywhenthesourceofenergyhasbeenremoved noun5. theprocessofdecline,asinhealth,mentality,beauty,etc 6. thestatebroughtaboutbythisprocess 7. decomposition,asofvegetablematter 8. rottenordecayedmatter thedentistdrilledoutthedecay 9. physicsa. Seeradioactivedecay b. aspontaneoustransformationofanelementaryparticleintotwoormoredifferentparticles c. (ofanexcitedatomormolecule)thelosingofenergybythespontaneousemissionofphotons 10. physics agradualdecreaseofastoredcharge,magneticflux,current,etc,whenthesourceofenergyhasbeenremoved Seealsotimeconstant 11. music thefadingawayofanote CollinsEnglishDictionary.Copyright©HarperCollinsPublishers Derivedformsdecayable(deˈcayable)adjective WordoriginC15:fromOldNorthernFrenchdecaïr,fromLateLatindēcadere,literally:tofallaway,fromLatincaderetofall WordFrequency decayinAmericanEnglish (diˈkeɪ ;dɪˈkeɪ ) verbintransitive1.  tolosestrength,soundness,health,beauty,prosperity,etc.gradually;wasteaway;deteriorate 2.  torotordecompose 3.  toundergoradioactivedisintegrationspontaneously verbtransitive4.  tocausetodecay noun5.  agradualdecline;deterioration 6.  awastingaway 7.  arottingordecomposing,asofvegetablematter 8. a.  rottenness b.  decayedorrottedmatter 9. a.  thespontaneousdisintegrationofradioactiveatomswitharesultingdecreasein theirnumber seealsohalf-life b.  thespontaneousdisintegrationofaparticleornucleus,asameson,baryon,etc.,asitchangesintoamorestablestate seealsoradioactiveseries SYNONYMYNOTE:decayimpliesgradual,oftennatural,deteriorationfromanormalorsoundcondition[histeethhavebeguntodecay];rotreferstothedecayoforganic,esp.vegetable,matter,causedbybacteria,fungi, etc.[rottingapples];putrefysuggeststheoffensive,foul-smellingrottingofanimalmatter[bodiesputrefyinginthefields];spoilisthecommoninformalwordforthedecayoffoods[fishspoilsquicklyinsummer];moldersuggestaslow,progressive,crumblingdecay[oldbuildingsmolderaway];disintegrateimpliesthebreakingupofsomethingintopartsorfragmentssothatthewholeness oftheoriginalisdestroyed[thedisintegrationofrocks];decomposesuggeststhebreakinguporseparationofsomethingintoitscomponentelements[adecomposingchemicalcompound]:itisalsoasomewhateuphemisticsubstituteforrot,putrefyWebster’sNewWorldCollegeDictionary,4thEdition.Copyright©2010by HoughtonMifflinHarcourt.Allrightsreserved. WordoriginMEdecaien