Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To separate into components or basic elements.
  • intransitive verb To cause to rot.
  • intransitive verb To become broken down into components; disintegrate.
  • intransitive verb To decay; rot or putrefy. synonym: decay.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To separate into its constituent parts; resolve into its original elements; specifically, to reduce (an organic body) to a state of dissolution by a process of natural decay.
  • To become resolved into constituent elements; specifically, to decay; rot; putrefy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To separate the constituent parts of; to resolve into original elements; to set free from previously existing forms of chemical combination; to bring to dissolution; to rot or decay.
  • intransitive verb To become resolved or returned from existing combinations; to undergo dissolution; to decay; to rot.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive to separate or break down something into its components; to disintegrate or fragment
  • verb intransitive to rot, decay or putrefy

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current
  • verb break down
  • verb separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts

Etymologies

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