decay (subs.) Copy link Outline I. Lit.1. cărĭes, ēi, f. (rot)2. tābes, is, f. (wasting away)3. putrēdo, ĭnis, f.II. Fig.1. (from old age)2. dēfectio3. dīmĭnūtĭo • decay (subs.): I. Lit.: 1. cărĭes, ēi, f. (rot): d. spreading beneath the bark, c. cortici subnascens, Plin. 2. tābes, is, f. (wasting away): d. and death (of trees), t. morsque (arborum), Plin. 3. putrēdo, ĭnis, f.: v. rot. II. Fig.: 1. (from old age): sĕnium: inactivity and d. of the mind, torpor mentis ac s., Sen.: to go to d. (of laws), senio emori, Gell. 2. dēfectio: d. of strength, d. virium, Cic. 3. dīmĭnūtĭo: d. of a family, d. familiae, Plin. Phr.: to go to d., dilabi, senescere, etc.: see verb, also foll. art.