The difference between Decay and Disintegrate
When used as verbs, decay means to undergo bit rot, that is, gradual degradation, whereas disintegrate means to undo the integrity of, break into parts.
Decay is also noun with the meaning: the process or result of being gradually decomposed.
check bellow for the other definitions of Decay and Disintegrate
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Decay as a noun:
The process or result of being gradually decomposed.
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Decay as a noun:
A deterioration of condition; loss of status or fortune.
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Decay as a verb (intransitive):
To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality. To undergo bit rot, that is, gradual degradation. To undergo software rot, that is, to fail to be updated in a changing environment, so as to eventually become legacy or obsolete. To undergo prolonged reduction in altitude (above the orbited body).
Examples:
"The pair loved to take pictures in the decaying hospital on forty-third street."
"'2009, Francis Lyall, Paul B. Larsen, ''Space Law: A Treatise'', page 120:"
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Decay as a verb (intransitive, of organic material):
To rot, to go bad.
Examples:
"The cat's body decayed rapidly."
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Decay as a verb (intransitive, transitive, physics, chemistry, of an unstable atom):
To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
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Decay as a verb (intransitive, transitive, physics, of a quantum system):
To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.
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Decay as a verb (intransitive, aviation):
Loss of airspeed due to drag.
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Decay as a verb (transitive):
To cause to rot or deteriorate.
Examples:
"The extreme humidity decayed the wooden sculptures in the museum's collection in a matter of years."
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Disintegrate as a verb (transitive):
To undo the integrity of, break into parts.
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Disintegrate as a verb (intransitive):
To fall apart, break up into parts.