decay vs fall

decay

noun
  • A deterioration of condition; loss of status or fortune. 

  • The process or result of being gradually decomposed. 

  • The situation, in programming languages such as C, where an array loses its type and dimensions and is reduced to a pointer, for example by passing it to a function. 

verb
  • To undergo bit rot, that is, gradual degradation. 

  • To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality. 

  • To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon. 

  • Loss of airspeed due to drag. 

  • To undergo software rot, that is, to fail to be updated in a changing environment, so as to eventually become legacy or obsolete. 

  • To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons; to undergo radioactive decay. 

  • To cause to rot or deteriorate. 

  • Of an array: to lose its type and dimensions and be reduced to a pointer, for example when passed to a function. 

  • To rot, to go bad. 

  • To undergo prolonged reduction in altitude (above the orbited body). 

fall

noun
  • A loss of greatness or status. 

  • A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc. 

  • The action of a batsman being out. 

  • The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting (usu. plural). 

  • An old Scots unit of measure equal to six ells. 

  • The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity. 

  • An instance of a wrestler being pinned to the mat. 

  • A short, flexible piece of leather forming part of a bullwhip, placed between the thong and the cracker. 

  • The lid, on a piano, that covers the keyboard 

  • A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown into an area to drift in a given direction. 

  • A hairpiece for women consisting of long strands of hair on a woven backing, intended primarily to cover hair loss. 

  • Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed. 

  • The chasing of a hunted whale. 

  • That which falls or cascades. 

intj
  • The cry given when a whale is sighted, or harpooned. 

verb
  • To collapse; to be overthrown or defeated. 

  • To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; said of the face. 

  • To come as if by dropping down. 

  • To begin with haste, ardour, or vehemence; to rush or hurry. 

  • To occur (on a certain day of the week, date, or similar); to happen. 

  • To become. 

  • To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity. 

  • To happen; to come to pass; to chance or light (upon). 

  • To be dropped or uttered carelessly. 

  • To be brought to the ground. 

  • To die, especially in battle or by disease. 

  • To become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc.). 

  • To hang down (under the influence of gravity). 

  • To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself. 

  • To become ensnared or entrapped; to be worse off than before. 

  • To be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance. 

  • To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin. 

  • To come down, to drop or descend. 

How often have the words decay and fall occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )