Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

decay

2 noun
     
Related topics: Biology, Chemistry
decay2 [uncountable]
1 the natural chemical change that causes the slow destruction of something:
old cars in various stages of decay
2 the gradual destruction of buildings, structures etc because they have not been cared for:
poverty and urban decay
fall into (a state of) decay
During the war, the area fell into decay.
3 the gradual destruction of ideas, beliefs, social or political systems etc:
moral decay
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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