Decaying

How to spell decaying

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce decaying

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does decaying mean?

1. adjectiveGradually rotting, breaking down, or declining in condition.
2. verbIn the process of rotting, weakening, or declining over time.

Decaying in a sentence

• adjective

  The decaying leaves clogged the gutter after the storm.

• verb

  The radioactive sample is slowly decaying in the sealed container.

• adjective

  Inspectors flagged the decaying timber in the old roof.

• verb

  The abandoned factory has been decaying for decades.

Where does decaying come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The base word decay traces back to the Late Latin verb decadere, meaning 'to fall away' or 'to fall down', formed from de- 'down, away' and cadere 'to fall'. English picked it up in the 1400s through Anglo-Norman French, where it had become decair, and it first carried the literal sense of crumbling or rotting before broadening to any gradual decline in strength, health, or value. The very same cadere root quietly powers a surprising family of English words, including cadence, cascade, accident, and even decadent, all of which involve something 'falling'. The present participle decaying simply adds the -ing ending, and because the 'ay' sound is spelled with the same letters as in 'day' and 'pay', the word rarely springs a hidden trap. Knowing that the heart of the word is the Latin 'fall' verb cadere helps anchor the cay spelling.

How the word is built

• de- (down, away)
• cay (from Latin cadere: to fall)
• -ing (present participle / verbal suffix)