Decay

How to spell decay

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce decay

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does decay mean?

1. verbTo rot or break down gradually, or to decline in quality, strength or condition.
2. nounThe process or state of rotting, or a gradual decline into a worse condition.

Decay in a sentence

• verb

  Sugary drinks can make teeth decay over time.

• noun

  The dentist found early signs of tooth decay at the back.

• verb

  Without regular funding the old bridges will slowly decay.

• noun

  Years of neglect left the empty factory in obvious decay.

Where does decay come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Decay traces back to the Latin verb cadere, which simply meant 'to fall', combined with the prefix de- meaning 'down' or 'away'. Late Latin formed decadere, literally 'to fall down' or 'fall away', and that idea of something dropping from a sound, whole state into ruin is still the heart of the word today. English took it in the late 1400s from the Old North French decair (a regional form of the Old French dechair), keeping the spelling with that final -ay that captures the French way of writing the sound. The very same cadere root quietly sits inside a surprising family of English words, including 'cadence', 'accident', 'cascade' and 'decadence', all of which involve something falling or fall pattern. Knowing that the ending is -cay (a falling) rather than -kay helps fix the spelling, since the word is really 'fall away'.

How the word is built

• de- (down, away)
• -cay (from Latin cadere: to fall)