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The word "decay" means a breaking down. There are several specific uses:

  • The chemical breakdown of organic substances, through bacteria, oxidation, and other processes (putrefaction, rot)
  • The deterioration of a structure or a social structure over time (e.g. urban blight, the destruction of ancient ruins, or the idiom "moral decay")
  • Dental caries, the action of bacteria on tooth enamel
  • Nuclear physics : the transmutation of elements through the emission of particles from unstable nuclei (radioactive decay)
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