Definitions for decay
dɪˈkeɪde·cay

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 5 votes

1. decaynoun

   the process of gradually becoming inferior

2. decay, declinenoun

   a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current

3. decay, decompositionnoun

   the organic phenomenon of rotting

4. decaynoun

   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"

5. decay, radioactive decay, disintegrationverb

   the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation

6. disintegrate, decay, decomposeverb

   lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current

   "the particles disintegrated during the nuclear fission process"

7. decay, crumble, dilapidateverb

   fall into decay or ruin

   "The unoccupied house started to decay"

8. decayverb

   undergo decay or decomposition

   "The body started to decay and needed to be cremated"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.7 / 3 votes

1. decaynoun

   The process or result of being gradually decomposed.

2. decaynoun

   A deterioration of condition.

3. decayverb

   To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.

   The pair loved to take pictures in the decaying hospital on forty-third street.

4. decayverb

   To rot, to go bad.

   The cat's body decayed rapidly.

5. decayverb

   To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.

6. decayverb

   To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.

7. decayverb

   To cause to rot or deteriorate.

   The extreme humidity decayed the wooden sculptures in the museum's collection in a matter of years.

8. Etymology: From decair, from *, restored form of decidere, from de + cadere; compare decadent and decadence.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Decaynoun

   Etymology: from the verb.

   1. Decline from the state of perfection; state of diminution.

   What comfort to this great decay may come,
   Shall be applied. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   She has been a fine lady, and paints and hides
   Her decays very well. Ben Jonson, Catiline.

   And those decays, to speak the naked truth,
   Through the defects of age, were crimes of youth. John Denham.

   By reason of the tenacity of fluids, and attrition of their parts, and the weakness of elasticity in solids, motion is much more apt to be lost than got, and is always upon the decay. Newt.

   Each may feel encreases and decays,
   And see now clearer and now darker days. Essay on Criticism.

   Taught half by reason, half by mere decay,
   To welcome death, and calmly pass away. Alexander Pope.

   2. The effects of diminution; the marks of decay.

   They think, that whatever is called old must have the decay of time upon it, and truth too were liable to mould and rottenness. John Locke.

   3. Declension from prosperity.

   And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee, then thou shalt relieve him. Levit. xxv. 35.

   I am the very man,
   That, from your first of difference and decay,
   Have follow’d your sad steps. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

2. To Decayverb

   To impair; to bring to decay.

   Infirmity, that decays the wise, doth ever make better the fool. William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

   Cut off a stock of a tree, and lay that which you cut off to putrefy, to see whether it will decay the rest of the stock. Francis Bacon, Natural History, №. 995.

   He was of a very small and decayed fortune, and of no good education. Edward Hyde.

   Decay’d by time and wars, they only prove
   Their former beauty by your former love. Dryden.

   In Spain our springs, like old men’s children, be
   Decay’d and wither’d from their infancy. John Dryden, Ind. Emp.

   It is so ordered, that almost every thing which corrupts the soul decays the body. Joseph Addison, Guardian, №. 120.

3. To DECAYverb

   To lose excellence; to decline from the state of perfection; to be gradually impaired.

   Etymology: decheoir, Fr. from de and cadere, Latin.

   The monarch oak
   Three centuries grows, and three he stays
   Supreme in state, and in three more decays. Dryden.

   The garlands fade, the vows are worn away;
   So dies her love, and so my hopes decay. Alexander Pope.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Decay

   Decay is a song by the band Sevendust. It's from the band's ninth studio album Black Out the Sun.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. decay

   Decay refers to the process of gradual degradation, breakdown, or destruction of an object, substance, or system. This term can be used in various contexts such as biology, physics, and even societal structures, implying a state of decline or deterioration over time due to natural causes or external factors. It often involves a loss of structure, organization, function, or vitality.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:2.3 / 3 votes

1. Decayverb

   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

2. Decayverb

   to cause to decay; to impair

3. Decayverb

   to destroy

4. Decaynoun

   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

5. Decaynoun

   destruction; death

6. Decaynoun

   cause of decay

7. Etymology: [OF. decaeir, dechaer, decheoir, F. dchoir, to decline, fall, become less; L. de- + cadere to fall. See Chance.]

WikidataRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Decay

   Decay is a fictional character owned by DC Comics. She appears as a villain in the Wonder Woman comic book series.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Decay

   dē-kā′, v.i. to fall away from a state of health or excellence: to waste away.—v.t. to cause to waste away: to impair.—n. a falling into a worse or less perfect state: a passing away: loss of fortune: (obs.) misfortune.—p.adj. Decayed′, reduced in circumstances.—n. Decayed′ness. [O. Fr. decair—L. de, from cadĕre, to fall.]

The New Hacker's DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. decay

   [from nuclear physics] An automatic conversion which is applied to most array-valued expressions in C; they ‘decay into’ pointer-valued expressions pointing to the array's first element. This term is borderline techspeak, but is not used in the official standard for the language.

Matched Categories

1. • Change
   • Natural Process
   • Organic Phenomenon
   • Unsoundness

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for decay »

1. acedy

How to pronounce decay?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say decay in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of decay in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of decay in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of decay in a Sentence

1. Darryl Granger:

   Their radioactive decay dates when the rocks were buried in the cave when they fell in the entrance together with the fossils.

2. Rhonda Kalasho:

   This acidity weakens enamel making it a lot more prone to staining, tooth decay and breakage.

3. Ben Carson:

   I don't wander off into those extraneous areas that can be exploited. I have learned that, moral decay and fiscal irresponsibility.

4. Alfred North Whitehead:

   Without adventure civilization is in full decay.

5. Bill Bennett:

   The ‘looking the other way’ has been empowered bysomething that isn't exactly a moral decay or failure, but it encourages moral failure. And that is bureaucracy.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=decay
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Decay
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=decay
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decay
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decay
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=decay
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=decay
9. ^ The New Hacker's Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3008/3008-h/3008-h.htm#Decay
10. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=decay