decay

decomposizione, carie

Deterioramento naturale di denti, legno, cibo o altri materiali organici.

In inglese semplice: The natural breakdown of teeth, wood, food, or other living material.

• Sugar can cause tooth decay.
• Moisture encouraged decay in the wooden fence.
• Fungi speed up the decay of fallen leaves.

Sinonimi: rot, rotting, decomposition

Espressioni comuni: tooth decay, dental decay, wood decay

decadimento, decomposizione

Processo in cui qualcosa si disgrega, perde forza o diminuisce di quantità poco a poco.

In inglese semplice: The gradual process of breaking down or becoming less strong or less in amount.

• The decay happened slowly.
• The graph shows the rate of decay.
• Heat can speed up the decay of some materials.

Come si usa: decay of something (We measured the decay of the signal over time.)

Sinonimi: breakdown, decline

Espressioni comuni: gradual decay, rate of decay, exponential decay

declino, decadenza

Perdita graduale di forza, qualità, successo o buone condizioni.

In inglese semplice: A gradual loss of strength, quality, success, or good condition.

• The city showed signs of decay.
• Years of neglect led to the decay of the building.
• She blamed corruption for the moral decay of society.

Come si usa: decay of something (The report describes the decay of public services.); fall into decay (The empty houses fell into decay.)

Sinonimi: decline, deterioration

Contrari: renewal

Espressioni comuni: urban decay, moral decay, fall into decay

carie, materia marcia

Materia danneggiata e ammorbidita dalla decomposizione; anche la parte di un dente rovinata dalla carie.

In inglese semplice: Material that has become damaged and soft through rotting.

• The dentist removed the decay.
• Dark decay filled the hole in the tooth.
• They scraped the soft decay out of the old beam.

Sinonimi: rot

Espressioni comuni: remove decay, wood decay, full of decay

marcire, decomporsi

Decomporsi naturalmente, diventando danneggiato, molle o marcio.

In inglese semplice: To break down naturally, becoming damaged, soft, or rotten.

• The fallen fruit began to decay.
• Damp wood decays quickly.
• The leaves had decayed by spring.

Sinonimi: rot, decompose

Espressioni comuni: decay slowly, begin to decay, decay in soil

deteriorarsi, decadere

Diventare gradualmente più debole o peggiorare nelle condizioni.

In inglese semplice: To gradually become weaker or worse in condition.

• The empire began to decay.
• Public institutions decayed under weak leadership.
• The abandoned buildings are decaying rapidly.

Sinonimi: deteriorate, decline

Contrari: improve

Espressioni comuni: decay over time, begin to decay, decay gradually

attenuarsi, svanire

Diventare poco a poco meno percepibile o scomparire.

In inglese semplice: To slowly become less noticeable or disappear.

• The sound slowly decayed.
• The signal decays as it travels farther.
• The vibration had decayed before we took another reading.

Sinonimi: fade, diminish

Contrari: intensify

Espressioni comuni: decay away, decay with time, decay rapidly

far marcire, deteriorare

Far marcire qualcosa o danneggiarlo gradualmente.

In inglese semplice: To make something rot or gradually become damaged.

• Dampness decayed the floorboards.
• Acids can decay teeth over time.
• Years of rain had decayed the exposed beams.

Come si usa: decay something (Constant moisture decayed the wooden supports.)

Sinonimi: rot, damage

Contrari: preserve

Espressioni comuni: decay something, decay the wood