decompose

[ dee-kuhm-pohz ]

verb (used with object)

, de·com·posed, de·com·pos·ing.

1. to separate or resolve into constituent parts or elements; disintegrate:

   The bacteria decomposed the milk into its solid and liquid elements.

   Synonyms: analyze, fractionate, distill

verb (used without object)

, de·com·posed, de·com·pos·ing.

1. to rot; putrefy:

   The egg began to decompose after a day in the sun.

decompose

/ ˌdiːkɒmpəˈzɪʃən; ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz /

verb

1. to break down (organic matter) or (of organic matter) to be broken down physically and chemically by bacterial or fungal action; rot
2. chem to break down or cause to break down into simpler chemical compounds
3. to break up or separate into constituent parts
4. tr maths to express in terms of a number of independent simpler components, as a set as a canonical union of disjoint subsets, or a vector into orthogonal components

Derived Forms

• decomposition, noun
• ˌdecomˈposable, adjective
• ˌdecomˌposaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• decom·posa·ble adjective
• decom·posa·bili·ty noun
• unde·com·posa·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of decompose¹

1745–55; < French décomposer, equivalent to dé- dis- ¹ + composer to compose

Synonym Study

See decay.

Example Sentences

Within the peat — packed remains of partially decomposed plants — oxygen-bearing organic compounds called cellulose contain clues to the climate history of the region.

From Science News

Don’t let it decompose in nature or “fertilize” someone’s yard.

From Popular-Science

Studies of how bodies decompose underwater suggest that if the thalattosaur was a carcass when the ichthyosaur found it, the prey’s limbs would have rotted off before its tail, the authors argue.

From Science News

Tropical peatlands are permanently flooded forests where fallen leaves and branches accumulate for centuries rather than decomposing.

From MIT Technology Review

Left to decompose, trash and recycling break down into methane or carbon dioxide.

From Science News For Students

He wants to take the fingers, let them decompose, then take the bones and make a finger bone necklace out of it.

From The Daily Beast

The question before us, then, is this: how quickly does a dead person decompose?

From The Daily Beast

Instead, as the body began to decompose, she spread baking soda on the floorboards to mask the smell.

From The Daily Beast

By this time the husks will have begun to decompose and darken the kernels.

From Project Gutenberg

Mineral acids decompose it, with the evolution of sulphuretted hydrogen.

From Project Gutenberg

A strong heat will decompose this lunar nitre, and recover the silver.

From Project Gutenberg

Remember that the hanging of meat is for the purpose of allowing it to begin to decompose.

From Project Gutenberg

Betton's eyes, fixed on him, saw his face decompose like a substance touched by some powerful acid.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• break down
• decay
• disintegrate
• dissolve
• fall apart
• molder