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Definition and meaning of decay
Definitions
decay (v. intr.)
1.lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief"After her husband died, she just pined away"
2.become moldy; spoil due to humidity"The furniture molded in the old house"
3.become physically weaker"Political prisoners are wasting away in many prisons all over the world"
4.fall into decay or ruin"The unoccupied house started to decay"
5.lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current"the particles disintegrated during the nuclear fission process"
6.undergo decay or decomposition"The body started to decay and needed to be cremated"
decay (n.)
1.(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
2.the organic phenomenon of rotting
3.a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current
4.the process of gradually becoming inferior
5.the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation
6.an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying"the corpse was in an advanced state of decay" "the house had fallen into a serious state of decay and disrepair"
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Merriam Webster
DecayDe*cay" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Decayed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Decaying.] [OF. decaeir, dechaer, decheoir, F. déchoir, to decline, fall, become less; L. de- + cadere to fall. See Chance.] To pass gradually from a sound, prosperous, or perfect state, to one of imperfection, adversity, or dissolution; to waste away; to decline; to fail; to become weak, corrupt, or disintegrated; to rot; to perish; as, a tree decays; fortunes decay; hopes decay.
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates and men decay. Goldsmith.
DecayDe*cay", v. t.
1. To cause to decay; to impair. [R.]
Infirmity, that decays the wise. Shak.
2. To destroy. [Obs.] Shak.
DecayDe*cay", n.
1. Gradual failure of health, strength, soundness, prosperity, or of any species of excellence or perfection; tendency toward dissolution or extinction; corruption; rottenness; decline; deterioration; as, the decay of the body; the decay of virtue; the decay of the Roman empire; a castle in decay.
Perhaps my God, though he be far before,
May turn, and take me by the hand, and more --
May strengthen my decays. Herbert.
His [Johnson's] failure was not to be ascribed to intellectual decay. Macaulay.
Which has caused the decay of the consonants to follow somewhat different laws. James Byrne.
2. Destruction; death. [Obs.] Spenser.
3. Cause of decay. [R.]
He that plots to be the only figure among ciphers, is the decay of the whole age. Bacon.
Syn. -- Decline; consumption. See Decline.
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Definition (more)
⇨ definition of Wikipedia
Synonyms
decay (n.)
decline, decomposition, disintegration, putrefaction, radioactive decay, rot, rotting
decay (v.)
addle, be ailing, become dilapidated, become run-down, become slummy, become worm-eaten, be consumed, be on the downgrade, crumble, decline, decompose, deteriorate, disintegrate, fall into disrepair, get lost, get worse, go down, go downhill, go to seed, molder, molder away, moulder, moulder away, not keep, perish, putrefy, rot, rot away, run to seed, spoil, wither, worsen
decay (v. intr.)
be on the downgrade, crumble, decompose, dilapidate, disintegrate, get lost, languish, mildew, pine, pine away, rot, waste, waste away, become moldy (American), become mouldy (British), go moldy (American), go mouldy (British), mold (American), molder (American), molder away (American), mould (British), moulder (British), moulder away (British), run to seed (colloquial)
See also
Phrases
⇨ Decay, Dental • Decay-Accelerating Factor • Dental Decay • Nuclear Decay • RNA Decay • alpha decay • beta decay • dental decay • exponential decay • mRNA Decay • moral decay • orbit decay • orbital decay • radioactive decay • thrust decay • tooth decay
⇨ 2-body decay • Advanced/Decay • Alpha decay • Anaerobic decay • Arrested decay • Atomic Decay • Attack Decay Sustain Release • Before I Decay • Beta decay • Beta decay (finance) • Beta-decay stable isobars • Beta-minus decay • C-decay • Change of decay rate • Cluster decay • Decay (DC Comics) • Decay (comics) • Decay Music • Decay accelerating factor • Decay chain • Decay correct • Decay energy • Decay family • Decay heat • Decay product • Decay scheme • Decay series • Decay theory • Distance decay • Double beta decay • EC decay • Electron capture decay • Eternal Decay • Exponential decay • Free induction decay • Groovy Decay • Innocence Falls in Decay • Life's Decay • List of nuclear decay products • Mitochondrial decay • Neptunium decay series • Neutrino-less double beta decay • Neutron decay • Non-stop decay • Nonsense mediated decay • On the Decay of the Art of Lying • Optical decay • Orbital decay • Particle decay • Pion decay constant • Positive beta decay • Positron decay • Process of Decay • Production and Decay of Strange Particles • Proton decay • Pulse decay time • Radiant Decay • Radioactive decay • Radioactive decay chain • Radioactive decay series • Self Decay • Semileptonic decay • Slow Decay • Snobbery and Decay • Sounds of Decay • Sperical decay experiment • Spherical decay experiment • State of Decay • Still Life Decay • Table of radioactive decay • The Art Decay • The Decay of Lying • The Decay of the Angel • The Path to Decay • The Pulse Of Decay • The Years of Decay • Theatre in Decay • Thrust-decay time • Truth Decay • Truth Decay (American band) • Truth Decay (British band) • Truth Decay (Hypnogaja) • Truth Decay (album) • Two-body decay • UK Decay • Urban Decay (cosmetics) • Urban Decay (film) • Urban Decay in India (c.300-1000) • Urban decay • Waves of Visual Decay • Wood-decay fungus
Analogical dictionary
decay (n.)
taint; decay; decomposition; rot; rotting; putrefaction[ClasseHyper.]
chose malsaine, causant des infections (fr)[ClasseParExt.]
decay (n.)
decomposition; putrescence; putrefaction; rot[ClasseHyper.]
organic phenomenon[Hyper.]
decompose, molder, moulder, rot[Nominalisation]
crumble, decay, dilapidate - decay, decompose, rot - decompositional[Dérivé]
decay (n.)
decrease, decrement[Hyper.]
decay, decompose, disintegrate[Dérivé]
decay (n.)
déchéance (fr)[Classe]
déchoir (fr)[Nominalisation]
decay (n.)
nuclear reaction[Hyper.]
decay, decompose, disintegrate - disintegrate[Dérivé]
decay (n.)
unsoundness[Hyper.]
crumble, decay, dilapidate[Dérivé]
decay (v. intr.)
s'abîmer, pourrir (fr)[Classe]
(sour; acetose; acetous; vinegary; vinegarish; acid)[termes liés]
alter, change[Hyper.]
mold, mould - mildew - mildew, mold, mould[Dérivé]
decay (v. intr.)
degenerate, deteriorate, devolve, drop[Hyper.]
wastage[Dérivé]
decay (v. intr.)
alter, change - be ailing, deteriorate[Hyper.]
decadent - decay, decomposition - decay[Dérivé]
decay (v. intr.)
change integrity[Hyper.]
decay, decline - decay, disintegration, radioactive decay[Dérivé]
disintegrate[Domaine]
decay (v. intr.)
alter, change[Hyper.]
decay, decomposition[Dérivé]
Wikipedia
Decay
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Look up decay in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Decay may refer to:
Science and technology
- Bit decay, in computing
- Software decay, in computing
- Distance decay, in geography
- Exponential decay, the decrease of a value in proportion to its value
- Decay time (fall time), in electronics
- Network decay (channel drift), in television programming
- In music, how quickly the sound drops to the sustain level after the initial peak, see ADSR envelope
Biology
- Bacterial decay, decomposition of organic matter
- Tooth decay (dental caries), in dentistry
- Mitochondrial decay, in genetics
Physics
- Orbital decay, the process of prolonged reduction in the height of a satellite's orbit
- Particle decay
- Radioactive decay
- Optical decay, in quantum physics
Mathematics
- Exponential decay
- ( decay period )
Psychology and sociology
- Decay theory, in psychology and memory
- Social decay (decadence), in sociology
- Urban decay, in sociology
Entertainment
- Decay (DC Comics), a comic book character
- Decay Music, 1976 music album by Michael Nyman
- Half-Life: Decay, a video game add-on
- Deekay, a Danish production team
Other
See also
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This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
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