First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1decay
verb de·cay \di-ˈkā\
: to be slowly destroyed by natural processes : to be slowly broken down by the natural processes that destroy a dead plant or body
: to slowly lose strength, health, etc.
of a building, area, etc. : to go slowly from a bad condition to a worse condition : to slowly enter a state of ruin
Full Definition of DECAY
intransitive verb
1
: to decline from a sound or prosperous condition
2
: to decrease usually gradually in size, quantity, activity, or force
3
: to fall into ruin
4
: to decline in health, strength, or vigor
5
: to undergo decomposition <decaying fruit>
transitive verb
1
obsolete : to cause to decay : impair <infirmity that decays the wise — Shakespeare>
2
: to destroy by decomposition
— de·cay·er noun
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Origin of DECAY
Middle English, from Anglo-French decaïr, from Late Latin decadere to fall, sink, from Latin de- + cadere to fall — more at chance
Related to DECAY
- Synonyms
- break down, corrupt, decompose, disintegrate, fester, foul, mold, molder, perish [chiefly British], putrefy, rot, spoil, fall apart, go to seed (or run to seed)
- Antonyms
- ameliorate, improve, meliorate
Synonym Discussion of DECAY
decay, decompose, rot, putrefy, spoil mean to undergo destructive dissolution. decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection <a decaying mansion>. decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption <the strong odor of decomposing vegetation>. rot is a close synonym of decompose and often connotes foulness <fruit was left to rot in warehouses>. putrefy implies the rotting of animal matter and offensiveness to sight and smell <corpses putrefying on the battlefield>. spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods <keep the ham from spoiling>.
Rhymes with DECAY
abbé, affray, agley, airplay, airway, aisleway, all-day, allay, allée, Angers, Anhui, archway, array, ashtray, assay, astray, Augier, away, aweigh, backstay, ballet, base pay, bat ray, beignet, belay, beltway, benday, beret, betray, bewray, bidet, bikeway, birthday, Biscay, Bizet, blasé, bobstay, Bombay, Bossuet, bouchée, bouclé, boule, bouquet, Bourget, bourrée, breezeway, Bouvet, Broadway, buffet, byplay, byway, cachet, café, cahier, Cambay, Cathay, causeway, chaîné, chalet, chambray, chassé, child's play, ciré, cliché, congé, convey, co-pay, Corday, corvée, coudé, coupé, crawlway, crochet, croquet, crossway, cube, curé, cy pres, DA, daresay, D-day, death ray, deejay, defray, delay, dengue, dismay, display, distrait, DJ, donnée, doomsday, doorway, dossier, downplay, dragée, driveway, duvet, Earl Grey, embay, épée, essay, estray, Ewe, fair play, fairway, Feuillet, field day, filé, filet, fillet, fireclay, fishway, flambé, flight pay, floodway, flyway, folkway, footway, foray, force play, forebay, foreplay, forestay, formée, forte, fouetté, foul play, Fouquet, four-way, fourchée, foyer, franglais, frappé, freeway, Friday, frieze, fumet, gainsay, Galway, gamay, gangway, gateway, gelée, give way, glacé, godet, gourmet, Green Bay, greenway, guideway, gunplay, hair spray, halfway, hallway, Hannay, harm's way, hatchway, headway, hearsay, Hebei, Hefei, heyday, highway, hold sway, homestay, hooray, horseplay, Hubei, in play, in re, inlay, inveigh, Islay, issei, jackstay, James Bay, jennet, jeté, Jetway, Jolliet, keyway, Kobe, koine, kouprey, lamé, laneway, lay day, leeway, lifeway, Lomé, Lord's day, lwei, lycée, M-day, maguey, mainstay, make hay, Malay, malgré, man-day, Mande, Manet, manqué, margay, massé, match play, maté, May Day, Medway, melee, meze, midday, midway, Midway, Millay, Millet, mislay, misplay, moiré, Monday, Monet, Mornay, name day, Niamey, nisei, noonday, Norway, nosegay, obey, OK, olé, ombré, one-way, osprey, Otway, outlay, outré, outstay, outweigh, oyez, PA, parfait, parkway, parlay, parquet, partway, passé, pâté, pathway, pavé, payday, pearl gray, per se, pince-nez, pipe clay, piqué, piquet, pith ray, PK, plié, plissé, pommée, Pompeii, portray, prepay, projet, pulque, puree, purvey, quale, Quesnay, raceway, Rahway, railway, rappee, red bay, relay, repay, replay, risqué, roadway, Roget, role-play, ropeway, rosé, rosebay, Roubaix, roué, routeway, runway, sachet, saint's day, Salé, sansei, sashay, sauté, screenplay, scrub jay, seaway, Shark Bay, shar-pei, shipway, short-day, sick bay, sick day, sick pay, sideway, skyway, slideway, slipway, sluiceway, soigné, soiree, someday, someway, soothsay, soufflé, speedway, spillway, squeeze play, stairway, sternway, stingray, straightway, strathspey, stroke play, subway, Sunday, survey, sweet bay, swordplay, tea tray, tempeh, thoughtway, thruway, Thursday, tideway, today, Tokay, tollway, Torbay, touché, toupee, trackway, tramway, Tuesday, Twelfth Day, two-way, unlay, unsay, valet, V-day, veejay, vide, visé, Vouvray, walkway, waylay, Wednesday, weekday, white way, windway, wood ray, wordplay, workday
2decay
noun
: the process or result of being slowly destroyed by natural processes
: the slow loss of strength, health, etc.
of a building, area, etc. : the process or result of going slowly from a bad condition to a worse condition
Full Definition of DECAY
1
: gradual decline in strength, soundness, or prosperity or in degree of excellence or perfection
2
: a wasting or wearing away : ruin
3
obsolete : destruction, death
4
a : rot; specifically : aerobic decomposition of proteins chiefly by bacteria b : the product of decay
5
: a decline in health or vigor
6
: decrease in quantity, activity, or force: as a : spontaneous decrease in the number of radioactive atoms in radioactive material b : spontaneous disintegration (as of an atom or a particle)
See decay defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of DECAY
15th century
Related to DECAY
- Synonyms
- debilitation, decline, decaying, declension, degeneration, descent, deterioration, ebbing, enfeeblement, weakening
- Antonyms
- comeback, improvement, rally, recovery, recuperation, rehabilitation, revitalization, snapback
DECAYING Defined for Kids
1decay
verb de·cay \di-ˈkā\
de·cayedde·cay·ing
Definition of DECAY for Kids
1
: to break down or cause to break down slowly by natural processes <Fruit decayed on the ground.> <Sugar decays teeth.>
2
: to slowly worsen in condition <The old theater decayed.>
2decay
noun
Definition of DECAY for Kids
1
: the process or result of slowly breaking down by natural processes <The schoolhouse being deserted soon fell to decay … — Washington Irving, “Sleepy Hollow”>
2
: a gradual worsening in condition <a decay in manners>
3
: a natural change of a radioactive element into another form of the same element or into a different element
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