decomposition

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˌdiːkəmpoʊˈzɪʃən/ UK /diːˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #24341

Meanings

1

noun
The process of rotting and breaking down, caused by bacteria or fungi.

The dead animal was in an advanced state of decomposition when we found it.
2

noun
The act of breaking something down into smaller parts for analysis.

The decomposition of the problem into smaller steps made it easier to solve.
3

noun
In chemistry, the breaking of a substance into two or more simpler substances.

Heating the compound caused its decomposition into oxygen and a metal oxide.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the process of rotting and... decay putrefaction

3 noun · in chemistry, the breaking... decomposition reaction

Word family

Forms decompositions

Derived forms autodecompositionbranch-decompositiondecompositionaleigendecompositionnano-decompositionnanodecompositionnondecompositionphotodecompositionpredecomposition

Related forms decompose

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

double decomposition
a chemical reaction in which two compounds exchange parts to form new compounds

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From de- + composition.

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

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