decay vs tooth decay

tooth decay vs decay

decay and tooth decay both are nouns.

decay is a verb but tooth decay is not a verb.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
decay	Yes	No	Yes	No
tooth decay	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, tooth decay is a hyponym of decay; that is, tooth decay is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than decay:

decay: the process of gradually becoming inferior
tooth decay: soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth

Other hyponyms of decay include caries, cavity, dental caries, corruption, breakdown, decomposition, putrefaction, rot, rotting, dilapidation, ruin, spoilage, spoiling.

decay (noun)	tooth decay (noun)
the organic phenomenon of rotting	soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth
a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current
the process of gradually becoming inferior
the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation
an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying

decay (verb)	tooth decay (verb)
fall into decay or ruin
lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current
undergo decay or decomposition

Difference between decay and tooth decay

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