decay
part of speech
verb (decay, decays, decayed, decaying); noun (decay — uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) To rot or break down slowly, as dead plants, animals and food do. tree →
2) To become weaker or worse over time, like an old building. tree →
3) As a noun, the process of rotting; "tooth decay" is holes in teeth caused by germs and sugar. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science, decomposers like fungi, bacteria and worms make dead things decay, returning nutrients to the soil; this is part of the life cycle and compost. In health lessons, tooth decay is caused by sugar and germs, so we brush twice a day. Phrases: tooth decay, decay away, start to decay, in decay.
examples
- Leaves decay and turn into soil. tree →
- Brush your teeth to stop tooth decay. tree →
- The old log was decaying in the forest. tree →
- Worms and fungi help things decay. tree →
- The castle has fallen into decay. tree →
- Sugary drinks cause tooth decay. tree →
- But he feared nothing, except that his plums should decay, and this never happened. tree →
note
Regular verb: decayed, decaying. Spelling: d-e-c-a-y. Decay is a natural process that helps the soil. In science, things decay faster when warm and damp, and slower when cold or dry.
In the corpora
- Sugary and fizzy drinks cause tooth decay, so water and milk are the best everyday drinks.
- Sealants and fluoride varnish are quick, painless coatings that help protect the back teeth from decay.
- Sugary drinks are one of the biggest causes of tooth decay and extra weight in children.
- Tooth decay is one of the most common illnesses in children, and bad decay can cause toothache, infection and lost teeth.
- Tricking a check, like wetting a toothbrush, fools a person but not your body: teeth that are not brushed get decay.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «decay» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.