decay
Definitions, pronunciation, related words, and community validation from players who tested this word in Spelling Bee.
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Spelling Bee Profile
When decay helps
Base Score
5
Before any board-specific bonus
Unique Letters
5
A C D E Y
Two-Letter Start
DE
Useful for systematic scans
Ending
AY
Check this pattern late
- 5 letters
- 5 unique letters
- DE start
- AY ending
Try it when
- decay is worth 5 points before any pangram bonus.
- It uses 5 unique letters, so it can fit boards that include a, c, d, e, y plus any remaining hive letters.
- The AY ending makes this a useful pattern check after you try the DE start.
- BuzzyWords has saved this word in 1 published Daily snapshot.
Pronunciation
noun
The process or result of being gradually decomposed.
noun
A deterioration of condition; loss of status or fortune.
verb
To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.
"The pair loved to take pictures in the decaying hospital on forty-third street."
verb
(of organic material) To rot, to go bad.
"The cat's body decayed rapidly."
verb
(of an unstable atom) To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
verb
(of a quantum system) To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.
verb
Loss of airspeed due to drag.
verb
To cause to rot or deteriorate.
"The extreme humidity decayed the wooden sculptures in the museum's collection in a matter of years."