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| de·cay [ di káy ] |
verb (past and past participle de·cayed, present participle de·cay·ing, 3rd person present singular de·cays) |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb become rotten: to decompose and become soft, crumbly, or liquefied, or make something do this
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2. transitive and intransitive verb decline or cause decline: to decline in quality gradually and steadily, or make something do this
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3. intransitive verb nuclear physics disintegrate: to undergo spontaneous disintegration
(
refers to radioactive material
)
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4. intransitive verb physics decrease: to decrease gradually in magnitude
(
refers to a physical quantity or effect
)
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5. intransitive verb astronomy descend: to decrease gradually in altitude
(
refers to an artificial satellite in orbit
)
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noun (plural de·cays) |
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| Definition: |
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1. reduction: a decline in quality
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2. process of biological deterioration: the process of decomposition that affects plant material and the bodies of animals after they die and are invaded by bacteria or fungi
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3. rotten or spoiled part: the areas of something that are decomposed or rotted
  cut out the decay
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4. nuclear physics disintegration of radioactive material: the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive material along with the emission of one or more elementary particles or radiation
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5. physics gradual decrease: a gradual decrease in the magnitude of a physical quantity or effect such as current, stored charge, or phosphorescence
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6. astronomy descent of artificial satellite: the gradual decrease in altitude of an orbiting artificial satellite
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7. music decline in sound of note: the fading away of a musical note
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| [15th century. Via French decair< Latin decidere "fall off or away" < cadere "to fall"] |
