decay
To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in qualityTo deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.
» Salt helps to preserve food from decay.
Salz macht Nahrungsmittel länger haltbar. — ELPHONY
Salz konserviert Lebensmittel. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
10 senses(intransitive)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.
To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.
(intransitive)To undergo bit rot, that is, gradual degradation.
(intransitive)To undergo software rot, that is, to fail to be updated in a changing environment, so as to eventually become legacy or obsolete.
(intransitive)To undergo prolonged reduction in altitude (above the orbited body).
(intransitive)To rot, to go bad.
The cat's body decayed rapidly.
(intransitive, transitive)To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons; to undergo radioactive decay.
распада́тьсяraspadátʹsja, распа́стьсяraspástʹsja
розпада́тисяrozpadátysja, розпа́стисяrozpástysja
undergo decay or decomposition
(intransitive, transitive)To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.
(intransitive)Loss of airspeed due to drag.
(transitive)To cause to rot or deteriorate.
The extreme humidity decayed the wooden sculptures in the museum's collection in a matter of years.
(intransitive)Of an array: to lose its type and dimensions and be reduced to a pointer, for example when passed to a function.
Examples
80 sentencesSalt helps to preserve food from decay.
deSalz macht Nahrungsmittel länger haltbar. — ELPHONY
The apple has begun to decay.
ruЯблоко начало портиться. — Balamax
Meat decays quickly in warm weather.
ruВ тёплую погоду мясо быстро портится. — marafon
The refrigerator preserves food from decay.
I had my decayed tooth removed.
ruМне вырвали гнилой зуб. — Wezel
deMein fauler Zahn wurde entfernt. — Dani6187
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English decaien (“to decrease, diminish”) and decai (“deterioration, decline iFrom 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.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
decays, decaying, decayed, decayedSynonyms
5 synonyms- fall into decay or ruin:crumbledilapidate
- lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current:disintegratedecompose
Word family
5 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle