• DECAY

1.

• v. INTRANS., in ruinam pronum esse (PROP., to be near falling): labi (PROP., to fall in; e.g., of a house, of the cheeks, then figuratively to sink, to become worse; e.g., of a breed or race, of manners, of sciences): collabi (to be falling to ruins; PROP., of buildings; figuratively, of the state): dilabi (PROP., to separate from each other; e.g., of the parts of buildings, of walls; then figuratively to be going downwards; e.g., of the state): macrescere (to fall away, of living beings): tabescere (to waste away, of living beings): marcescere (fade away; hence, languish, grow weak; e.g., marcescentes senio vires, Plin.; marcescere desidia, Liv.): deminui (of the moon, also of strength; it would be wrong to use diminui, Vid: Ochs., Cic., Ecl., p. 13): minui; minuere (to be lessened; e.g., of the memory): my strength decays or fails me, viribus senesco, or deficior; vires extenuantur, deficiunt: my memory decays, memoria labat, minuitur; deficior memoria: zeal and hope decay together, studium cum spe senescit: the power of the Athenians decays, opes Atheniensium senescunt: to decay or be reduced to poverty, ad inopiam or egestatem or paupertatem redigi.
• TRANS., imbecillum or infirmum reddere; attenuare; vitiare (see WEAKEN). A decayed tooth, densexesus: dens cavus or cavatus (hollow): decayed (= reduced to poverty), ad inopiam, egestatem or paupertatem redactus: beams that are decayed, asseres marcidi (Vitrvius).

2. deminutio: defectio virium; vires corporis affectae: of the understanding, deminutio mentis. To fall to decay, to go to decay. Vid. DECAY, v. INTR.