0 past simple and past participle of decay
1 to become gradually damaged, worse, or less; to cause something to do this:
Floating in the dirty river were dead fish, already starting to decay.
The bacteria live on food particles and produce acid that decays the enamel on your teeth.
It's sad to watch a beautiful rose wither and decay in such a short time.
Plants and animals decay into the soil, replenishing the minerals and nutrients.
Many of these were envisioned as artistic undertakings that would ameliorate the urban environment, such as improving water supplies or cleaning up decayed neighborhoods.
This effect diminished with increasing perturbation wave number and decayed to zero for large time.
The monastic community itself had decayed because no ordination had taken place for a considerable time.
