de·cay (d -k  )v. de·cayed, de·cay·ing, de·cays v.intr. 1. Biology To break down into component parts; rot. 2. Physics To disintegrate or diminish by radioactive decay. 3. Electronics To decrease gradually in magnitude. Used of voltage or current. 4. Aerospace To decrease in orbit. Used of an artificial satellite. 5. To fall into ruin: a civilization that had begun to decay. 6. Pathology To decline in health or vigor; waste away. 7. To decline from a state of normality, excellence, or prosperity; deteriorate. v.tr. To cause to decay. n. 1. a. The destruction or decomposition of organic matter as a result of bacterial or fungal action; rot. b. Rotted matter. 2. Physics Radioactive decay. 3. Aerospace The decrease in orbital altitude of an artificial satellite as a result of conditions such as atmospheric drag. 4. A gradual deterioration to an inferior state: tooth decay; urban decay. 5. A falling into ruin. [Middle English decayen, from Old French decair, from Vulgar Latin *d  cadere : Latin d-, de- + Latin cadere, to fall; see kad- in Indo-European roots.]de·cay er n.Synonyms: decay, rot, putrefy, spoil, crumble, molder, disintegrate, decompose These verbs refer to gradual change resulting in destruction or dissolution. Decay can denote partial deterioration short of complete destruction: Brush and floss regularly to prevent teeth from decaying. Rot is sometimes synonymous with decay, but often, like putrefy, stresses offensiveness to the sense of smell: The food left on the counter began to rot. Arctic cold prevented the prehistoric animal from putrefying. Spoil usually refers to the process by which perishable substances become unfit for use or consumption: Put the fish in the refrigerator before they spoil. Crumble implies physical breakdown into small fragments or particles: The ancient church had crumbled to ruins. To molder is to crumble to dust: The shawl had moldered away in the trunk. Disintegrate refers to complete breakdown into component parts: The sandstone façade had disintegrated from exposure to the elements. Decompose, largely restricted to the breakdown of substances into their chemical components, also connotes rotting and putrefying, both literally and figuratively: "trivial personalities decomposing in the eternity of print" (Virginia Woolf). |
Decaying
degeneration as the result of disuse, malnutrition, etc.
disposition to disintegrate as the result of natural processes. — biodegradable, adj.
the condition of being perishable. — caducous, adj.
the condition of being decayed or carious, especially with regard to teeth.
the destructive process of metabolism in which living matter is turned into waste. — catabolic, adj.
a breaking down; disruption. — cataclasmic, n.
Rare. the process of decay or deterioration. See also change.
degeneration of cells or tissues. — cataplastic, adj.
the stage of decline in organic development.
the degeneration of cells. — cytolytic, adj.
the state or quality of being susceptible to breakdown or decomposition. — degradable, adj.
the belief that the universe is gradually breaking down. See also meliorism.
the condition of being fugacious or transitory; evanescence. — fugacious, adj.
the branch of biology that studies aging and its phenomena. Also gereology. — geratologic, geratologous, adj.
the disintegration or dissolution of organic tissues. — histolytic, adj.
the process of coming apart, especially falling into ruin or decay.
the decomposition of cells by antibodies called lysins.
atrophy or wasting away of the muscles.
the death or decay of body tissue, the result of loss of blood supply or trauma. — necrotic, adj.
depreciation, loss, or diminution in value, quality, etc.
the breakdown of matter or materials under the influence of light. — photolytic, adj.
1. the state or process of rotting or putrefying.
2. rotting or putrefying matter. — putrescent, adj.
2. rotting or putrefying matter. — putrescent, adj.
a gradual wasting away of the body or of any organ or part of the body.
the wasting of the body, as in consumption. — syntectic, syntectical, adj.
1. the process of emaciation or wasting of the body.
2. the condition of being wasted or in decay, especially as a gradual process. — tabescent, adj.
2. the condition of being wasted or in decay, especially as a gradual process. — tabescent, adj.
the state of being affected by tabes, i.e., gradual wasting or decay.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
decaying
adjective rotting, deteriorating, disintegrating, crumbling, perishing, wasting away, wearing away, gangrenous, putrefacient
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