decay - English dictionary definition

1 to 8 of 8 references

1. Decay  To pass gradually from a sound, prosperous, or perfect state, to one of imperfection, adversity, or dissolution; to waste away; to decline; to fail; to become weak, corrupt, or disintegrated; to rot; to perish; as, a tree decays; fortunes decay; hopes decay.
2. Decay  To cause to decay; to impair.
3. Decay  To destroy.
4. Decay  Gradual failure of health, strength, soundness, prosperity, or of any species of excellence or perfection; tendency toward dissolution or extinction; corruption; rottenness; decline; deterioration; as, the decay of the body; the decay of virtue; the decay of the Roman empire; a castle in decay.
5. Decay  Destruction; death.
6. Decay  Cause of decay.
7. decay   decay [Nuclear physics] An automatic conversion which is applied to most array-valued expressions in C; they "decay into" pointer-valued expressions pointing to the array's first element. This term is not used in the official standard for the language. [Jargon File] DECdesign A software analysis and design tool from DEC supporting several methodologies. Now replaced by Teamwork.
8. decay  the organic phenomenon of rotting