mindmap root((腐坏)) decay implies a slow and not necessarily complete change from a state of soundness or perfection: a ~ Southern mansion. decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and often implies a corruption: the body was badly ~d. rot implies decay or decomposition, usually of matter, and often connotes foulness: grain left to ~ in warehouses. 谷物谷粒 putrefy stresses the offensive quality of what decays or rots: corpses ~ing on the battlefield. =battleground spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods: be on guard against ~ed mayonnaise. 蛋黄酱(尤指三明治填料)