# decayed

Pronunciation: US say "dee-KAYD" /diˈkeɪd/; UK say "di-KAYD" /dɪˈkeɪd/

## Adjective

1. Rotted, or broken down by the process of decay.
   - Simple: Rotten, or slowly broken down over time.
   - _Divers found the decayed hull of a fishing boat on the sea floor._
   - _The lower planks were far more decayed than the ones near the roof._

## Verb

2. Simple past and past participle of decay. — simple past and past participle of decay
   - Simple: Simple past and past participle of decay. Use it for something that happened earlier, or after "has" or "was".
   - _Most of the radioactive isotope had decayed by the time the samples reached the lab._
   - _The satellite's orbit decayed until it burned up in the atmosphere._

## Adjective

3. Having fallen into reduced circumstances, with one's former status or fortune lost. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Poorer or less important than before, after losing money or position.
   - _A decayed gentlewoman, she took in sewing to keep up appearances._
   - _The charity was founded to help decayed merchants and their widows._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/decayed (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).