noun · verb · 25 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/dɪˈkeɪ/
rhymes with -eɪ
US:dē-kāʹ
US:/diˈkeɪ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:D IH0 K EY1
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
From Middle English decaien (“to decrease, diminish”) and decai (“deterioration, decline in value”), from Anglo-Norman decaeir (“to fall away, decay, decline”), from Vulgar Latin *dēcadere, etymologically restored form of Latin dēcidere (“to fall down, to fail, sink or perish”), from de- (“of, from, away, down”) + cadere (“to fall”). Compare decadent and decadence.
Across languages
Translations
157 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
نَخْر
(naḵr)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Bulgarian:
разлагане
(razlagane)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Catalan:
descomposició
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Catalan:
desintegració
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Czech:
rozklad
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Czech:
hniloba
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Danish:
nedbrydning
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Danish:
forfald
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Dutch:
verval
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Finnish:
lahoaminen
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Finnish:
laho
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
French:
décrépitude
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Galician:
deterioración
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Galician:
apodrecemento
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Galician:
putrefacción
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
German:
Verfall
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
German:
Verwesung
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
German:
Fäulnis
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Greek:
σήψη
(sípsi)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Ancient Greek:
σῆψις
(sêpsis)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Hebrew:
דעיכה
(de'ichá)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Hindi:
अपघटन
(apaghṭan)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Hungarian:
bomlás
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Ido:
dekado
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Indonesian:
pelapukan
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Indonesian:
peluruhan
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Irish:
meath
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Japanese:
腐敗
(fuhai)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Korean:
부패
(bupae)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Latin:
cariēs
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Latin:
tābēs
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Low German:
Fuulnis
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Macedonian:
распа́ѓање
(raspáǵanje)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Macedonian:
ра́спад
(ráspad)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Malay:
kerosakan
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Malay:
pereputan
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Malayalam:
ജീർണ്ണിക്കൽ
(jīṟṇṇikkal)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Māori:
hanehane
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Māori:
popo
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Norwegian Bokmål:
nedbryting
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Old English:
þreax
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Persian:
تباهی
(tabâhi)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Persian:
واپاشی
(vâpâši)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Polish:
rozkład
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Portuguese:
deterioração
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Portuguese:
apodrecimento
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Portuguese:
putrefação
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Portuguese:
decomposição
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Romanian:
descompunere
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Russian:
разложе́ние
(razložénije)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Russian:
распа́д
(raspád)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Russian:
гние́ние
(gnijénije)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Sanskrit:
क्षय
(kṣaya)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Scottish Gaelic:
crìonadh
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Scottish Gaelic:
mùthadh
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Serbo-Croatian:
raspad
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Spanish:
descomposición
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Spanish:
deterioración
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Spanish:
putrefacción
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Spanish:
podredumbre
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Spanish:
decaimiento
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Swedish:
förruttnelse
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Swedish:
sönderfall
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Swedish:
förfall
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Tagalog:
pugnaw
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Ukrainian:
розпад
(rozpad)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Ukrainian:
розпадання
(rozpadannja)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Ukrainian:
розклад
(rozklad)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Ukrainian:
розклада́ння
(rozkladánnja)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Ukrainian:
розлож
(rozlož)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Ukrainian:
розложення
(rozložennja)
— process or result of being gradually decomposed
Bulgarian:
влошаване
(vlošavane)
— deterioration of condition
Catalan:
deteriorament
— deterioration of condition
Catalan:
decadència
— deterioration of condition
Czech:
rozklad
— deterioration of condition
Danish:
forfald
— deterioration of condition
Danish:
svækkelse
— deterioration of condition
Finnish:
heikkeneminen
— deterioration of condition
Finnish:
rapautuminen
— deterioration of condition
Galician:
decadencia
— deterioration of condition
Galician:
deterioración
— deterioration of condition
Hungarian:
romlás
— deterioration of condition
Hungarian:
hanyatlás
— deterioration of condition
Hungarian:
pusztulás
— deterioration of condition
Indonesian:
pelapukan
— deterioration of condition
Indonesian:
peluruhan
— deterioration of condition
Indonesian:
kemerosotan
— deterioration of condition
Irish:
meath
— deterioration of condition
Irish:
meathlú
— deterioration of condition
Korean:
쇠약
(soeyak)
— deterioration of condition
Macedonian:
влошу́вање
(vlošúvanje)
— deterioration of condition
Malay:
susutan
— deterioration of condition
Malayalam:
ജീർണ്ണിക്കൽ
(jīṟṇṇikkal)
— deterioration of condition
Polish:
rozkład
— deterioration of condition
Polish:
degradacja
— deterioration of condition
Romanian:
decădere
— deterioration of condition
Russian:
упа́док
(upádok)
— deterioration of condition
Russian:
спад
(spad)
— deterioration of condition
Spanish:
deterioración
— deterioration of condition
Spanish:
desintegración
— deterioration of condition
Spanish:
decadencia
— deterioration of condition
Spanish:
decaimiento
— deterioration of condition
Spanish:
descaecimiento
— deterioration of condition
Ottoman Turkish:
خراب
(harab)
— deterioration of condition
Arabic:
اضمحل
— to deteriorate
Arabic:
تضعضع
— to deteriorate
Armenian:
փչանալ
(pʻčʻanal)
— to deteriorate
Bulgarian:
разлагам се
(razlagam se)
— to deteriorate
Bulgarian:
развалям се
(razvaljam se)
— to deteriorate
Catalan:
deteriorar-se
— to deteriorate
Catalan:
fer-se malbé
— to deteriorate
Czech:
rozkládat se
— to deteriorate
Danish:
brydes ned
— to deteriorate
Danish:
nedbrydes
— to deteriorate
Danish:
forfalde
— to deteriorate
Danish:
henfalde
— to deteriorate
Dutch:
vervallen
— to deteriorate
Dutch:
in verval raken
— to deteriorate
Dutch:
verloederen
— to deteriorate
Esperanto:
kadukiĝi
— to deteriorate
Finnish:
heikentyä
— to deteriorate
Finnish:
rapautua
— to deteriorate
Finnish:
rappeutua
— to deteriorate
Finnish:
heiketä
— to deteriorate
French:
pourrir
— to deteriorate
Georgian:
ფუჭდება
(puč̣deba)
— to deteriorate
German:
verfallen
— to deteriorate
German:
verderben
— to deteriorate
Hungarian:
elpusztul
— to deteriorate
Hungarian:
tönkremegy
— to deteriorate
Irish:
meath
— to deteriorate
Irish:
meathlaigh
— to deteriorate
Korean:
부패하다
(bupaehada)
— to deteriorate
Malayalam:
ജീർണ്ണിക്കുക
(jīṟṇṇikkuka)
— to deteriorate
Māori:
taimate
— to deteriorate
Māori:
koropungapunga
— to deteriorate
Persian:
تباهیدن
(tabâhidan)
— to deteriorate
Persian:
واپاشیدن
(vâpâšidan)
— to deteriorate
Portuguese:
decompor-se
— to deteriorate
Portuguese:
deteriorar
— to deteriorate
Romanian:
descompune
— to deteriorate
Russian:
по́ртиться
(pórtitʹsja)
— to deteriorate
Russian:
ухудша́ться
(uxudšátʹsja)
— to deteriorate
Spanish:
decaer
— to deteriorate
Spanish:
periclitar
— to deteriorate
Spanish:
descaecer
— to deteriorate
Swedish:
mattas
— to deteriorate
Swedish:
försämras
— to deteriorate
Swedish:
förfalla
— to deteriorate
Swedish:
tackla av
— to deteriorate
Turkish:
fenalaşmak
— to deteriorate
Catalan:
desintegrar-se
— To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
French:
se désintégrer
— To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
Russian:
распада́ться
(raspadátʹsja)
— To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
Russian:
распа́сться
(raspástʹsja)
— To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
Ukrainian:
розпада́тися
(rozpadátysja)
— To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
Ukrainian:
розпа́стися
(rozpástysja)
— To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.