Decomposition

How to spell decomposition

13 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce decomposition

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does decomposition mean?

1. nounThe natural process by which organic matter rots and breaks down.
2. nounThe act of separating something into its simpler components or constituent parts.

Decomposition in a sentence

• The biology class studied the decomposition of organic matter in the forest floor.

• Electrolysis causes the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen.

• Warm, damp conditions speed up the decomposition of fallen leaves in the compost heap.

• The project plan relied on the decomposition of each goal into smaller tasks.

Where does decomposition come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built from Latin roots that English assembled through French. The core is ponere, meaning 'to place' or 'to put', whose past participle positus gives us the spelling element 'pos'. Adding com- ('together') produced componere, 'to put together', the source of 'compose' and 'composition'. The prefix de- here means 'reverse' or 'undo', so decomposition literally describes the act of un-putting-together, taking apart what was assembled. English adopted it in the 1700s, partly through French decomposition, as scientists needed a precise term for substances breaking down into their parts; remembering that hidden 'compose' inside the word helps fix the spelling of the middle syllables.

How the word is built

• de- (reverse, undo)
• com- (together)
• pos (from Latin ponere: to place/put)
• -ition (noun suffix)