%decom%

a. Capable of being resolved into constituent elements. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Decomposed p. pr. & vb. n. Decomposing. ] [ Cf. F. décomposer. Cf. Discompose. ] To separate the constituent parts of; to resolve into original elements; to set free from previously existing forms of chemical combination; to bring to dissolution; to rot or decay. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To become resolved or returned from existing combinations; to undergo dissolution; to decay; to rot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Separated or broken up; -- said of the crest of birds when the feathers are divergent. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. de- (intens.) + composite. ] 1. Compounded more than once; compounded with things already composite. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) See Decompound, a., 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Anything decompounded. [ 1913 Webster ]

Decomposites of three metals or more. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. de- (in sense 3 intensive) + composition: cf. F. décomposition. Cf. Decomposition. ] 1. The act or process of resolving the constituent parts of a compound body or substance into its elementary parts; separation into constituent part; analysis; the decay or dissolution consequent on the removal or alteration of some of the ingredients of a compound; disintegration; as, the decomposition of wood, rocks, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being reduced into original elements. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Repeated composition; a combination of compounds. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Decomposition of forces. Same as Resolution of forces, under Resolution. --
Decomposition of light, the division of light into the prismatic colors. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. causing organic decay. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Decompounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Decompounding. ] [ Pref. de- (intens. in sense 1) + compound, v. t. ] 1. To compound or mix with that is already compound; to compound a second time. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To reduce to constituent parts; to decompose. [ 1913 Webster ]

It divides and decompounds objects into . . . parts. Hazlitt. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. de- (intens.) + compound, a. ] 1. Compound of what is already compounded; compounded a second time. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Several times compounded or divided, as a leaf or stem; decomposite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A decomposite. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being decompounded. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. to undergo the process of decompression. [ PJC ]

v. t. to subject to the process of decompression. [ PJC ]

n. 1. the process of experiencing decompression; the act or process of relieving or reducing pressure.
Syn. -- decompression. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. 1. the process of experiencing decompression; the act or process of relieving or reducing pressure.
Syn. -- decompressing. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. the reduction of atmospheric pressure experienced by divers rising from deep water to the surface, thus reducing the concentration of dissolved atmospheric gases in the blood; -- especially applied to a gradual reduction of such pressure. [ PJC ]

3. the process, analogous to sense 2, undergone by divers in a decompression chamber, in which an artificially high atmospheric pressure is gradually lowered to normal pressure. [ PJC ]

4. a return to a normal, more relaxed state after a period of intense stress, psychological pressure, or urgent activity; -- of people. [ PJC ]

5. (Computers) the process of converting digitally encoded data from a more compact (compressed) form to its original, larger size. The process of compression and decompression may completely recover all of the original data (called lossless compression), or may lose some of the original data in order to achieve higher degress of compression (lossy compression). The latter is used especially with images or video data, which may be of very large size relative to text, and for which small changes may be imperceptible to the human eye. The JPEG data compression format is a lossy format. [ PJC ]

a. [ Pref. in- not + decomposable: cf. F. indécomposable. ] Not decomposable; incapable or difficult of decomposition; not resolvable into its constituents or elements. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Incapableness of decomposition; stability; permanence; durability. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) More than decompound; divided many times. [ 1913 Webster ]