DECAY
What does "DECAY" mean?
To rot or break down gradually through natural processes, or to decline in quality.
Meanings
- To rot or decompose through the action of bacteria or fungi. The fallen apples began to decay in the damp grass.
- To decline gradually in strength, quality, or prosperity. Without investment, the once-grand town slowly decayed.
- The state or process of rotting or declining. Tooth decay can be slowed by regular brushing.
- In physics, to undergo radioactive disintegration into other particles or nuclei. A free neutron will decay into a proton in about fifteen minutes. technical
Did you know?
- A neutron is rock-solid inside a nucleus, but set one free and it decays into a proton in about 15 minutes - one of the few subatomic particles with a lifespan you can almost wait out.
Word origin
From Anglo-Norman 'decair', from Late Latin 'decadere' 'to fall down, sink', from Latin 'de-' 'down' plus 'cadere' 'to fall'; a sibling of 'decadence' and 'cadence'.
Remember it
DECAY ends in 'cay', a sinking sandbar - things decline by falling away, just as the Latin root means 'to fall down'.
A little poem
Windfall in wet grass-
the apple loosens its hold
and feeds the slow ground.
haiku
Wordplay
- The physicist and the dentist both study decay - one waits for the neutron, the other for the appointment.
What it teaches
Decay is not the opposite of order but its quiet rent - everything standing is paying it.
Quick facts
What does DECAY mean?
To rot or break down gradually through natural processes, or to decline in quality.
Is DECAY a valid word?
Yes — DECAY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is DECAY?
DECAY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does DECAY come from?
From Anglo-Norman 'decair', from Late Latin 'decadere' 'to fall down, sink', from Latin 'de-' 'down' plus 'cadere' 'to fall'; a sibling of 'decadence' and 'cadence'.
What can DECAY teach us?
Decay is not the opposite of order but its quiet rent - everything standing is paying it.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.