decay

rot, decay, decompose

名词 decay:

1. the process of gradually becoming inferior
2. a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current
   同义词：decline
3. the organic phenomenon of rotting
   同义词：decomposition
4. an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying
5. the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation
   同义词：radioactive decay, disintegration

动词 decay:

1. lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current
   同义词：disintegrate, decompose
2. fall into decay or ruin
   同义词：crumble, delapidate
3. undergo decay or decomposition

1. The dentist could detect no decay in her teeth.
   牙医检查了她的牙，未见有龋齿。
2. A source of spreading corruption or decay.
   腐败的原因传布腐败或腐朽的根源
3. Death and decay of body tissue, often occurring in a limb, caused by insufficient blood supply and usually following injury or disease.
   坏疽软组织坏死或衰退，经常由供血不足和紧接着的受伤或疾病而发生在四肢
4. What made the Roman Empire decay?
   罗马帝国为何衰亡？
5. The dampness of the climate decayed the books.
   气候潮湿，把书都霉坏了。

de.cay

v.（动词）
de.cayed,de.cay.ing,de.cays
v.intr.（不及物动词）
Biology To break down into component parts; rot.
【生物学】 腐烂：分解成各组成部分；腐烂
Physics To disintegrate or diminish by radioactive decay.
【物理学】 衰变：由于放射性衰变而解体或缩小
Electronics To decrease gradually in magnitude. Used of voltage or current.
【电子学】 衰减：在量值上逐渐减弱。用于指电压或电流
Aerospace To decrease in orbit. Used of an artificial satellite.
【太空学】 能量衰减：在轨道上运行时能量消减。用于指人造卫星
To fall into ruin:
衰亡，毁坏：
例句：
a civilization that had begun to decay.
已经开始衰落的文明

Pathology To decline in health or vigor; waste away.
【病理学】 衰弱，消瘦：在健康或精力方面衰退；变得衰弱
To decline from a state of normality, excellence, or prosperity; deteriorate.
使衰退：从正常、优秀或繁荣的状态衰败下去，恶化
v.tr.（及物动词）
To cause to decay.
使腐烂；使衰败
n.（名词）

The destruction or decomposition of organic matter as a result of bacterial or fungal action; rot.
腐烂：有机物质由于细菌的活动而受到的破坏或分解；腐烂
Rotted matter.
腐烂的物质
Physics Radioactive decay.
【物理学】 放射性的蜕变、衰变
Aerospace The decrease in orbital altitude of an artificial satellite as a result of conditions such as atmospheric drag.
【太空学】 能量消减：人造卫星由于大气阻力等的作用结果，在轨道高度上能量消减
A gradual deterioration to an inferior state:
衰败、衰落的状态：
例句：
tooth decay; urban decay.
蛀牙；城市的衰落

A falling into ruin.
衰亡

来源：
Middle English decayen
中古英语 decayen
from Old French decair
源自 古法语 decair
from Vulgar Latin *dôcadere
源自 俗拉丁语 *dôcadere
Latin dô- [de-]
拉丁语 dô- [向下]
Latin cadere [to fall] * see kad-
拉丁语 cadere [减低，变弱] *参见 kad-

【引伸】
decay.er
n.（名词）
<参考词汇><同义词>decay,rot,putrefy,spoil,crumble,molder,disintegrate,decomposeThese verbs all refer to gradual change resulting in destruction or dissolution.
这些动词都表示导致毁灭或分解的逐步变化。
Decay denotes a falling away from soundness;it may imply a stage in deterioration short of complete destruction:
Decay 表示从完好健全的状态变弱；指未达到彻底毁灭状态时的恶化阶段：
例句：
Dentists advise their patients to brush and floss regularly to prevent their teeth from decaying.
牙医建议他们的病人定期刷牙并用洁牙线剔牙，防止蛀牙。

Rot is sometimes synonymous withdecay (
Rot 有时与decay 的词义一样(
例句：
wood that had rotted), but it often, likeputrefy, stresses a stage of deterioration marked by offensiveness to the sense of smell:
已经腐烂了的木头)， 但正如putrefy， 该词经常强调恶化的阶段，伴有显著的令人作呕的气味：

例句：
Animal flesh that rots is attractive to vultures.
动物腐烂的肉体对兀鹰很有吸引力。

例句：
The intact carcass of the prehistoric animal was prevented from putrefying by the arctic cold.
史前时期动物的完整尸体，是由于北极严寒的保护不致腐烂。

Spoil usually refers to the process by which perishable substances, especially food, become unfit for use or consumption:
Spoil 通常指食物等易坏的物质变得不能使用或消费的过程：
例句：
I put the veal scallops into the refrigerator before they could spoil.
在小牛肉可能变质前，我把它们搁在冰箱里。

Crumble implies the physical breakdown of a substance into small fragments or particles:
Crumble 是物质分裂成碎片的意思：
例句：
We saw the remains of an ancient church that had crumbled to ruins. To
我们看到了那座已变成废墟的古教堂。

molder is to crumble to dust:
molder 指化为尘土：
例句：
Her grandmother`s shawl had moldered away in the trunk.
她奶奶的围巾已经在箱子里腐烂了。

Disintegrate refers to complete breakdown into component parts and implies the destruction of usefulness or integrity:
Disintegrate 指完全分裂成组成部分，意味着功能整体的被破坏：
例句：
The sandstone faôade had disintegrated from long exposure to the elements.
由于长期暴露在自然环境中，沙岩的表面已经风化了。

Decompose, largely restricted to the breakdown of substances into their chemical components,also connotes rotting and putrefying, both literally and figuratively:
Decompose 主要限于指物质分裂成其化学组成成份，含有腐朽、腐烂的意思，既可以从字面上来理解，也可以从喻意上来理解：
例句：
.trivial personalities decomposing in the eternity of print. (Virginia Woolf).
缺少才华的作家逐渐从永恒的书籍世界中消失 （维琴尼亚·沃尔夫）