decayed
decayed — 動詞
- decayedpresent simple I / you / we / they
- decayeds3rd person singular
- decayeding-ing form
- decayededpast simple
1. to slowly fall apart, lose strength, or get into worse condition over time; also
腐朽；衰敗
事物緩慢損壞或情況變糟
to slowly fall apart, lose strength, or get into worse condition over time; also, to make something do this
The wooden fence around Femi's garden had decayed after years of rain.
Femi 花園周圍的木製圍籬經過多年風雨已經腐朽。
intransitive: [subject] decayed over time
Talia's back teeth decayed because she rarely brushed before going to bed.
Talia 的後排牙齒因為睡前很少刷牙而蛀壞了。
common collocation: teeth decayed
Trade and trust between the two villages slowly decayed during the long border dispute.
在漫長的邊界爭端期間，兩個村莊之間的貿易與信任慢慢衰敗。
Damp air and salt decayed the iron bolts inside the lighthouse stairwell.
潮濕的空氣與鹽分腐蝕了燈塔樓梯間裡的鐵螺栓。
After the factory closed, the small town along the river quietly decayed.
工廠關閉後，河邊那個小鎮悄悄地走向衰敗。
- rotted
more specific to organic matter (wood, food, leaves)
- deteriorated
broader; works for health, materials, situations
- crumbled
implies physical breaking into small pieces
- thrived
for institutions, communities, or living things
- strengthened
for materials or abstract things like trust
文法句型
[subject] decayed
[agent] decayed [object]
用法筆記
Subject is typically physical (wood, metal, teeth, food, buildings) or abstract things that can weaken (trust, power, a relationship, an empire). Transitive use is less common than intransitive.
常見錯誤
2. in physics, the unstable atoms inside a radioactive sample decayed when they bro
衰變
放射性物質的原子核蛻變
in physics, the unstable atoms inside a radioactive sample decayed when they broke apart on their own, turning into other elements and giving off radiation
About half of the uranium sample decayed during the experiment in Lotte's lab.
在 Lotte 的實驗室裡，鈾樣本在實驗過程中大約有一半發生了衰變。
intransitive: [radioactive substance] decayed
The carbon-14 atoms in the old bone had decayed enough to give a clear date.
那塊古老骨頭中的碳-14 原子已衰變到足以給出清楚的年代。
scientific dating context
Most of the radon trapped in the basement decayed into harmless gases within days.
困在地下室的氡氣大部分在幾天內就衰變成無害的氣體。
Once the heavy nucleus decayed, William's detector picked up a sharp burst of radiation.
重原子核一衰變，William 的偵測器便偵測到一道強烈的輻射訊號。
- disintegrated
common in physics writing; emphasises atoms breaking apart
文法句型
[radioactive substance] decayed (into [product])
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: only sense 2 is used in physics, chemistry, and archaeology to describe atomic-level change. Subject must be a radioactive isotope, atom, or sample — not a building or relationship. Often followed by 'into' plus the resulting element.
常見錯誤
decayed — 名詞
1. describing things that have rotted, worn down, or been damaged after a long time
腐爛；朽壞
已經腐爛或朽壞的事物狀態
describing things that have rotted, worn down, or been damaged after a long time — placed before the noun, such as decayed teeth, decayed leaves, or a decayed old building
Rafael cleared away piles of decayed leaves from the path behind the barn.
Rafael 把穀倉後面小徑上一堆堆腐爛的落葉清掉。
attributive: decayed + [organic matter]
The dentist showed Lien an X-ray of two badly decayed molars at the back.
牙醫向 Lien 展示一張 X 光片，後排有兩顆嚴重蛀壞的臼齒。
common collocation: decayed teeth / molars
Workers replaced several decayed beams in the roof of the old village schoolhouse.
工人更換了村裡舊校舍屋頂上幾根朽壞的橫梁。
The empty, decayed buildings on Main Street told the story of the closed mine.
主街上空蕩、破敗的建築物，訴說著礦場關閉後的故事。
- rotten
more informal; usually for food, wood, and organic matter
- deteriorated
broader and more formal; works for materials, health, and situations
- crumbling
stresses the visible breaking into pieces
文法句型
decayed + [noun]
用法筆記
Most often appears as a past-participle modifier before a noun (decayed teeth, decayed wood, decayed leaves, decayed buildings). Distinguish from sense 2: this everyday meaning is about visible rot or material decline, not atomic-level change.
常見錯誤
2. in science writing, describing atoms or nuclei that have already broken down by
已衰變的
已經發生放射性衰變的原子或核
in science writing, describing atoms or nuclei that have already broken down by themselves as part of natural radioactive change, turning into other elements and giving off radiation
Noor measured the share of decayed uranium atoms in the rock sample from the mine.
Noor 測量了礦場那塊岩石樣本中已衰變的鈾原子比例。
domain: decayed + [radioactive substance]
Scientists count the decayed carbon atoms in old wood to work out a date.
科學家計算古老木材中已衰變的碳原子數量，藉以推算年代。
technical: decayed carbon (carbon-14 dating)
The decayed radon in the basement had already turned into harmless heavier gases.
地下室裡已衰變的氡，早就轉變成無害的較重氣體了。
Nikhil's report listed the ratio of decayed nuclei in three different uranium isotopes.
Nikhil 的報告列出了三種不同鈾同位素中已衰變原子核的比例。
- disintegrated
common in physics writing for the same atomic process
- stable
describing atoms that have not undergone radioactive change
文法句型
decayed + [atomic / nuclear noun]
用法筆記
Limited to scientific and technical writing. Distinguish from sense 1: requires a radioactive subject (atoms, nuclei, isotopes, named radioactive substances) and refers to atomic-level change, not visible rot or general decline.