decay
Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action.
Example
“tooth decay/dental decay—wood-decay fungi—bacterial decay—photochemical decay”
Other meanings
deterioration of condition; loss of status, quality, strength, or fortune.
“civic and moral decay—systemic decay—fall into decay—urban decay—arrested decay—memory decay”
radioactive decay; decomposition of an atom or its nucleus.
“alpha decay—gamma decay—fission decay—decay chain”
Example sentences
Word history
From Latin "dēcidō".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “decay” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.