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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary de·cay
ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Anglo-French decaïr, from Late Latin decadere to fall, sink, from Latin de- + cadere to fall — more at chance DATE 15th century intransitive verb 1. to decline from a sound or prosperous condition 2. to decrease usually gradually in size, quantity, activity, or force 3. to fall into ruin 4. to decline in health, strength, or vigor 5. to undergo decomposition decaying fruit transitive verb 1. obsolete : to cause to decay : impair infirmity that decays the wise — Shakespeare 2. to destroy by decomposition • de·cay·er noun Synonyms. decay , decompose , rot , putrefy , spoil mean to undergo destructive dissolution. decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection a decaying mansion decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption the strong odor of decomposing vegetation rot is a close synonym of decompose and often connotes foulness fruit was left to rot in warehouses putrefy implies the rotting of animal matter and offensiveness to sight and smell corpses putrefying on the battlefield spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods keep the ham from spoiling
noun DATE 15th century 1. gradual decline in strength, soundness, or prosperity or in degree of excellence or perfection 2. a wasting or wearing away : ruin 3. obsolete : destruction , death 4. a. rot ; specifically : aerobic decomposition of proteins chiefly by bacteria b. the product of decay 5. a decline in health or vigor 6. decrease in quantity, activity, or force: as a. spontaneous decrease in the number of radioactive atoms in radioactive material b. spontaneous disintegration (as of an atom or a particle) English Etymology decay c.1460, from O.Fr . decair, from V.L. *decadere "to fall off," from L. cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). Meaning "gradual decrease in radioactivity" is from 1897.http://O.Fr Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ decay decay / di5kei / noun[U] 1. the process or result of being destroyed by natural causes or by not being cared for (= of decaying) 腐烂；腐朽: tooth decay 蛀牙 The landlord had let the building fall into decay. 房东不管,房子已经破烂不堪。 The smell of death and decay hung over the town. 城市上空弥漫着死人和腐烂的气味。 2. the gradual destruction of a society, an institution, a system, etc. (社会、机构、制度等的)衰败,衰退,衰落: economic / moral / urban decay 经济衰退；道德败坏；城市衰落 the decay of the old industries 旧工业的衰败 verb1. to be destroyed gradually by natural processes; to destroy sth in this way (使)腐烂,腐朽 SYN rot :
▪ [V] decaying leaves / teeth / food 烂叶；蛀齿；腐烂食物 ▪ [also VN] 2. [V] if a building or an area decays, its condition slowly becomes worse (建筑、地方等)破败,衰落,衰败: decaying inner city areas 衰败中的旧城区 3. [V] to become less powerful and lose influence over people, society, etc. (力量、影响等)衰弱,衰退,衰减: decaying standards of morality 道德标准日趋低下 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English decay noun VERB + DECAY rapid | slow | dental, tooth | economic, industrial, urban | moral, physical, social VERB + DECAY cause Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth, causing decay. | stop Without a lot of money, the mayor won't be able to stop urban decay. | reverse This government promises to reverse industrial decay. | prevent The wood is treated with preservative to prevent decay. | fall into old buildings that had fallen into decay PREP. in ~ The derelict buildings are the signs of a town in decay. | ~ in Smoking accelerates age-related decay in the heart and arteries. | ~ of the slow decay of the castle and the surrounding buildings PHRASES the process of decay, signs of decay My dentist could not find any signs of decay. | an odour/a smell/a stench of decay A smell of decay pervaded the air. | a state of decay Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition n. Function: verb to undergo or to cause to undergo destructive changes FF1C;apples decaying in the basketFF1E; Synonyms: break down, corrupt, crumble, decompose, disintegrate, molder, ||perish, putrefy, putresce, rot, spoil, taint, turn Related Words: deteriorate; debilitate, enfeeble, sap, undermine, weaken; contaminate, defile, pollute; dilapidate, ruin, wreck; curdle, ferment, sour, work; dry-rot Idioms: go bad, go to pot, go to seed, go to wrack and ruin Contrasted Words: mature, ripen; refresh, renew, restore; activate, energize, vitalize; cleanse, purify; galvanize, quicken, stimulate, strengthen Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged de·cay I. \də̇ˈkā, dēˈ-\ verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English decayen, from Old North French decaïr, from Late Latin decadere to fall, sink, from Latin de down, away + cadere to fall — more at de- , chance intransitive verb 1. a. archaic : to decline from a prosperous condition < families … decayed into the humble vale of life — Sir Walter Scott > b. : to pass gradually from a comparatively sound or perfect state to one of unsoundness, imperfection, or dissolution < where wealth accumulates and men decay — Oliver Goldsmith > 2. : to decrease in quantity, volume, activity, or force : dwindle away < the voices … decayed and died out upon her ear — Thomas Hardy > 3. : to fall into physical ruin < the old house decayed from lack of repairs > 4. : to decline in health, strength, vigor, or freshness < a mind beginning to decay > 5. : to undergo decomposition : rot < fruit decays in the sun > transitive verb 1. obsolete : to cause to decay : impair < infirmity that decays the wise — Shakespeare > 2. : to destroy by decomposition : rot < rain and sun decayed the building > Synonyms: decompose , rot , putrefy , spoil , disintegrate , crumble : decay indicates deteriorating change, often gradual, from a sound condition or perfect state < bruised apples decaying quickly > < decaying teeth > < with huge machines left to rust and decay — American Guide Series: Texas > < the Aztec regime and culture collapsed and the native crafts and arts decayed — R.W.Murray > decompose implies breaking down into components or dissolution through corruption < the strong odor of decomposing meat > < action of bacteria in decomposing the organic products — A.C.Morrison > < after slaying his colleague, he chemically decomposed the body — Leo Guild > rot , applied to animal or vegetable matter, indicates decaying with corruption, often with offensive foulness; otherwise it may indicate enervation or stagnation < fruit rotting in the baskets > < the rotting corpses of the Americans and British whom the French allowed to be massacred at Fort William Henry — Cleveland Amory > < it was this garrison life. Half civilian, half military, with all the drawbacks of both. It rotted the soul, robbed a man of ambition, faith — Irwin Shaw > putrefy may indicate noisome, extremely offensive, or nauseating rotting < putrefying cadavers > spoil is a less extreme word often used in reference to food to indicate a degree of decay that makes it uneatable < the lettuce will spoil if it is not refrigerated > disintegrate implies a separating of particles or a breaking apart that destroys the entity or integrity of the item in question < mortar disintegrating in the old chimney > < icebergs disintegrating in the warm water > < if we raise the temperature higher and higher, the metal itself finally disintegrates and becomes a gas — K.K.Darrow > < [the] Whig party disintegrated into its component elements — H.S.Commager > crumble implies a slow disintegration with a breaking and falling off of small particles < winter rains had washed and washed against its narrow, faded old bricks until the plaster between them had crumbled — Margaret Deland > < still visible, although the stockade itself has long since crumbled, are the outlines of the ancient earthworks — American Guide Series: Michigan > < Hood's army, crumbled in morale and depleted by wholesale desertion — American Guide Series: Tennessee > II. noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from decayen 1. a. : the condition of a person or thing that has undergone a decline in strength, soundness, or prosperity or has been diminished in degree of excellence or perfection < arts and letters had fallen into decay > b. : a progressive failure of strength, soundness, or prosperity : a diminishing in degree of excellence or perfection < saw a rapid decay of moral principles > 2. a. : the material process of dilapidation : wasting or wearing away : the state of being wasted or worn away : ruin < ancient temples fallen into complete decay > b. obsolete : ruined remains : debris — usually used in plural3. obsolete : destruction , death , ruin < sullen presage of your own decay — Shakespeare > 4. obsolete : a cause of decay < my love was my decay — Shakespeare > 5. a. : rot ; specifically : the aerobic decomposition of proteins chiefly by bacteria in which the products of putrefaction are completely oxidized to stable compounds having no foul odors b. : the product of decay < remove decay from a tooth > 6. a. archaic : a decline in health or vigor b. obsolete : the manifestations of age or of decline in health — usually used in plural c. archaic : a wasting disease; especially : consumption 7. : decrease in quantity, volume, activity, or force: as a. : spontaneous decrease in the number of radioactive atoms in radioactive material (as uranium ore) b. : spontaneous disintegration of an atom, an atomic nucleus, a neutron, or a meson |
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