decay

Noun · Verb
Synonyms: declinedecompositionradioactive decaydisintegrationdisintegratedecomposecrumbledilapidate

WordNet 3.0

Noun (5)

  1. the process of gradually becoming inferior
  2. a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or currentSynonyms: decline
  3. the organic phenomenon of rottingSynonyms: decomposition
  4. an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying“the corpse was in an advanced state of decay”“the house had fallen into a serious state of decay and disrepair”
  5. the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiationSynonyms: radioactive decaydisintegration

Verb (3)

  1. lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current“the particles disintegrated during the nuclear fission process”Synonyms: disintegratedecompose
  2. fall into decay or ruin“The unoccupied house started to decay”Synonyms: crumbledilapidate
  3. undergo decay or decomposition“The body started to decay and needed to be cremated”
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Decay \De*cay"\, v. t.

1.To cause to decay; to impair. [R.] [1913 Webster]

Infirmity, that decays the wise.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

2.To destroy. [Obs.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Decay \De*cay"\, n.

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. [1913 Webster]

Perhaps my God, though he be far before, May turn, and take me by the hand, and more May strengthen my decays.— Herbert.[1913 Webster]
His [Johnson's] failure was not to be ascribed to intellectual decay.— Macaulay.[1913 Webster]
Which has caused the decay of the consonants to follow somewhat different laws.— James Byrne.[1913 Webster]

2.Destruction; death. [Obs.] --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

3.Cause of decay. [R.] [1913 Webster]

He that plots to be the only figure among ciphers, is the decay of the whole age.— Bacon.

Syn: Decline; consumption. See Decline. [1913 Webster]

Decay \De*cay"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Decayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Decaying.] [OF. decaeir, dechaer, decheoir, F. d['e]choir, 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. [1913 Webster]

Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates and men decay. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing

decay

[Nuclear physics] An automatic conversion which is applied to most array-valued expressions in C; they "decay into" pointer-valued expressions pointing to the array's first element. This term is not used in the official standard for the language. [Jargon File]

The Jargon File

decay n.,vi

[from nuclear physics] An automatic conversion which is applied to most array-valued expressions in C; they ‘decay into’ pointer-valued expressions pointing to the array's first element. This term is borderline techspeak, but is not used in the official standard for the language.

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