decays

verb

1. 1

   To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.

   “The pair loved to take pictures in the decaying hospital on forty-third street.”

2. 2

   (of organic material) To rot, to go bad.

   “The cat's body decayed rapidly.”

3. 3

   (of an unstable atom) To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.

4. 4

   (of a quantum system) To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.

5. 5

   Loss of airspeed due to drag.

6. 6

   To cause to rot or deteriorate.

   “The extreme humidity decayed the wooden sculptures in the museum's collection in a matter of years.”