| decay [di`kā] GEOCHEMISTRY See <<chemical weathering>> MATERIALS To undergo decomposition. NUCLEAR PHYSICS See <<radioactive decay>> OCEANOGRAPHY In ocean-wave studies, the loss of energy from wind- generated ocean waves after they have ceased to be acted on by the wind; this process is accompanied by an increase in length and a decrease in height of the wave. PHYSICS Gradual reduction in the magnitude of a quantity, as of current, magnetic flux, a stored charge, or phosphorescence. |