Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Decay
De-cay′
,Verb.
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
Where wealth accumulates and men
decay
. Goldsmith.
De-cay′
,Verb.
T.
1.
To cause to decay; to impair.
[R.]
Infirmity, that
decays
the wise. Shakespeare
2.
To destroy.
[Obs.]
Shak.
De-cay′
,Noun.
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
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.
Webster 1828 Edition
Decay
DECA'Y
,Verb.
I.
Definition 2024
decay
decay
English
Noun
decay (countable and uncountable, plural decays)
- The process or result of being gradually decomposed.
- 1895, H. G. Wells, The Time Machine Chapter X
- I fancied at first the stuff was paraffin wax, and smashed the jar accordingly. But the odor of camphor was unmistakable. It struck me as singularly odd, that among the universal decay, this volatile substance had chanced to survive, perhaps through many thousand years.
- 1895, H. G. Wells, The Time Machine Chapter X
- A deterioration of condition.
Derived terms
Terms derived from decay
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Translations
process or result of being gradually decomposed
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deterioration of condition
Verb
decay (third-person singular simple present decays, present participle decaying, simple past and past participle decayed)
- (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.
- (intransitive, electronics, of storage media or the data on them) To undergo bit rot, that is, gradual degradation.
- (intransitive, computing, of software) To undergo software rot, that is, to fail to be updated in a changing environment, so as to eventually become legacy or obsolete.
- (intransitive, physics, of a satellite's orbit) To undergo prolonged reduction in altitude (above the orbited body).
- 2009, Francis Lyall, Paul B. Larsen, Space Law: A Treatise, page 120:
- Damaged on lift-off, Skylab was left in orbit until its orbit decayed.
- (intransitive, of organic material) To rot, to go bad.
- The cat's body decayed rapidly.
- (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.
- 2005, Encyclopedia of Earth Science (edited by Timothy M. Kusky; ISBN 0-8160-4973-4), page 349:
- Uranium decays to radium through a long series of steps with a cumulative half-life of 4.4 billion years.
- 2005, Encyclopedia of Earth Science (edited by Timothy M. Kusky; ISBN 0-8160-4973-4), page 349:
- (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.
- (intransitive, aviation) 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.
- Shakespeare
- Infirmity, that decays the wise.
Translations
to deteriorate
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to rot
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