decay
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Old French decair (“‘to fall away, decay, decline’”) < Mediaeval Latin *decadere, restored form of Latin decidere (“‘to fall away, fail, sink, perish’”) < de (“‘down’”) + cadere (“‘to fall’”); cf. decadent and decadence.
[edit] Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -eɪ
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
decay (uncountable)
- The process or result of being gradually decomposed.
- A deterioration of condition.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
process or result of being gradually decomposed
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
[edit] Verb
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Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to decay (third-person singular simple present decays, present participle decaying, simple past and past participle decayed)
- To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.
- To rot, to go bad.
[edit] Translations
deteriorate
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rot
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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[edit] Related terms
[edit] External links
- decay in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- decay in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
