decompose

Word family

Related topics: Chemistry, Biology

de·com·pose /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz $ -ˈpoʊz/ verb [intransitiveI, transitiveT]

1 DECAYto decay or make something decay （使）变坏，（使）腐烂

a partially decomposed body

部分腐烂的尸体

2. SEPARATEHC technical to divide into smaller parts, or to make something do this （使）分解

—decomposition /ˌdiːkɒmpəˈzɪʃən $ -kɑːm-/ noun [uncountableU]

Examples from the Corpus

decompose• It would decompose and could cause the pool liner to sag.• Five to ten sub-systems is accepted as the normal range, which can then be decomposed as required to show lower-order activities.• A partly decomposed body was found late Saturday.• I poked at its decomposing body with a long driftwood stick, working to turn it over.• Diapers don't decompose in landfills.• The elderly in Boston and New York were decomposing in their rooms.• As household refuse decomposes, it produces an explosive gas, methane.• As bacteria decomposed it, they released CO2 into the air.• A dead fish in the aquarium will decompose rapidly, fouling the water badly.• In this way, semantic markers decompose the meanings of words into more primitive elements.• Some minerals seem to survive more or less unaltered even after being subject to prolonged weathering, whereas others decompose very rapidly.• If turned, two or three times, the heap will decompose without getting too hot or becoming mildewed.

de·com·pose verb

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