DECAY

decay

Noun

  1. The process or result of being gradually decomposed.
  2. A deterioration of condition.

Verb

  1. 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.
  1. To undergo , that is, gradual degradation.
  2. To undergo , that is, to fail to be updated in a changing environment,so as to eventually become legacy or obsolete.
  3. To undergo prolonged reduction in altitude (above the orbitted body).
    2009, Francis Lyall, Paul B. Larsen, Space Law: A Treatise, page 120:
  4. To rot, to go bad.
The cat's body decayed rapidly.
  1. To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
  2. To undergo , that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.
  3. To cause to rot or deteriorate.
    The extreme humidity decayed the wooden sculptures in the museum's collection in a matter of years.


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