English Explanatory Dictionary

decay

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action.
  2. Deterioration of condition; loss of status, quality, strength, or fortune.
  3. Radioactive decay; decomposition of an atom or its nucleus.
  4. Particle decay; decomposition of a sub-atomic particle.
  5. Continuous decrease of a quantity.
  6. Overthrow, destruction, ruin, death.
  7. Array decay.
verb
  1. To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.
  2. To undergo bit rot, that is, gradual degradation.
  3. To undergo software rot, that is, to fail to be updated in a changing environment, so as to eventually become legacy or obsolete.
  4. To undergo prolonged reduction in altitude (above the orbited body).
  5. To rot, to go bad.
  6. To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons; to undergo radioactive decay.
  7. To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.
  8. Loss of airspeed due to drag.
  9. To cause to rot or deteriorate.
  10. Of an array: to lose its type and dimensions and be reduced to a pointer, for example when passed to a function.

Pronunciation

/dɪˈkeɪ/ dē-kāʹ /diˈkeɪ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-decay.wav

Word forms

decay decays decaying decayed

Etymology

From Middle English decaien (“to decrease, diminish”) and decai (“deterioration, decline in value”), from Anglo-Norman decaeir (“to fall away, decay, decline”), from Vulgar Latin *dēcadere, etymologically restored form of Latin dēcidere (“to fall down, to fail, sink or perish”), from de- (“of, from, away, down”) + cadere (“to fall”). Compare decadent and decadence.

Synonyms

nuclear decay—atomic decay fester

Related words

deciduous

Derived words

alpha decay array decay arrested decay bacterial decay beta decay biodecay bit decay c-decay decayability decayable decay chain decay constant decayer decayless decaylessness decay series decay time delta decay dental decay digital decay exponential decay gamma decay nonsense-mediated decay non-stop decay nuclear decay orbital decay particle decay photodecay platform decay predecay radioactive decay semidecay time decay tooth decay urban decay vacuum decay volatility decay weight decay decayingly nondecaying semidecaying undecaying

Translations

Arabic: اضمحل Arabic: تضعضع Armenian: փչանալ Bulgarian: разлагам се Bulgarian: развалям се Catalan: deteriorar-se Catalan: fer-se malbé Czech: rozkládat se Danish: brydes ned Danish: nedbrydes Danish: forfalde Danish: henfalde Dutch: vervallen Dutch: in verval raken Dutch: verloederen Esperanto: kadukiĝi Finnish: heikentyä Finnish: rapautua Finnish: rappeutua Finnish: heiketä French: pourrir Georgian: ფუჭდება German: verfallen German: verderben Hungarian: elpusztul Hungarian: tönkremegy Irish: meath Irish: meathlaigh Korean: 부패하다 Malayalam: ജീർണ്ണിക്കുക Māori: taimate Māori: koropungapunga Persian: تباهیدن Persian: واپاشیدن Portuguese: decompor-se Portuguese: deteriorar Romanian: descompune Russian: по́ртиться Russian: ухудша́ться Spanish: decaer Spanish: periclitar Spanish: descaecer Swedish: mattas Swedish: försämras Swedish: förfalla Swedish: tackla av Turkish: fenalaşmak
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