Lexic.us

Definition of Decay

1. Verb. Lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current. "The particles disintegrated during the nuclear fission process"

2. Noun. The process of gradually becoming inferior.

3. Verb. Fall into decay or ruin. "The unoccupied house started to decay"

4. Noun. A gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current.

5. Verb. Undergo decay or decomposition. "The body started to decay and needed to be cremated"

6. Noun. The organic phenomenon of rotting.

7. Noun. An inferior state resulting from the process of decaying. "The house had fallen into a serious state of decay and disrepair"

8. Noun. The spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation.

Definition of Decay

1. v. i. 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. v. t. To cause to decay; to impair.

3. n. 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.

Definition of Decay

1. Noun. The process or result of being gradually decomposed. ¹

2. Noun. A deterioration of condition. ¹

3. Verb. (intransitive) To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality. ¹

4. Verb. (intransitive of organic material) To rot, to go bad. ¹

5. Verb. (intransitive transitive physics chemistry of an unstable atom) To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons. ¹

6. Verb. (intransitive transitive physics of a quantum system) To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon. ¹

7. Verb. (aviation) ¹

8. Verb. (transitive) To cause to rot or deteriorate. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Decay

1. to decompose [v -ED, -ING, -S] - See also: decompose

Medical Definition of Decay

1. 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) Origin: OF. Decaeir, dechaer, decheoir, F. Dechoir, to decline, fall, become less; L. De- + cadere to fall. See Chance. 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. 3. Cause of decay. "He that plots to be the only figure among ciphers, is the decay of the whole age." (Bacon) Synonym: Decline, consumption. See Decline. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Decay

decasyllable decasyllables decatenation decatenatory decatetraene decatetraenes decathlete decathletes decathlon decathlons

decatoic decatriene decatrienes decavanadate decavanadates decay (current term) decay accelerating factor decay constant decay modes decay theory

decayable decayed decayedness decayer decayers decayeth decaying decayless decays deccagynous

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