decay
1. decomposition, as of vegetable matter
2. rotten or decayed matter
3. Physicsb. a spontaneous transformation of an elementary particle into two or more different particles
c. of an excited atom or molecule, losing energy by the spontaneous emission of photons
4. Physics a gradual decrease of a stored charge, magnetic flux, current, etc., when the source of energy has been removed
5. Music the fading away of a note
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
What does it mean when you dream about decay?
Decay may symbolize the degradation of a situation. More positively, it represents the death of an old situation before rebirth into a new state. Other associations come from such common idioms as “rotten apple.” (See also Maggots).
The Dream Encyclopedia, Second Edition © 2009 Visible Ink Press®. All rights reserved.
decay
[di′kā] (materials)
To undergo decomposition.
(oceanography)
In ocean-wave studies, the loss of energy from wind-generated ocean waves after they have ceased to be acted on by the wind; this process is accompanied by an increase in length and a decrease in height of the wave.
(physics)
Gradual reduction in the magnitude of a quantity, as of current, magnetic flux, a stored charge, or phosphorescence.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
brown rot
A fungus that destroys wood cellulose, leaving a brown powdery residue behind.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
decay
[Nuclear physics] An automatic conversion which is applied to
most array-valued expressions in
C; they "decay into"
pointer-valued expressions pointing to the array's first
element. This term is not used in the official standard for
the language.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
decay
The gradual reduction of strength of a signal or charge.Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.