decay vs keep

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). 

keep

noun
  • The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case. 

  • A cap for holding something, such as a journal box, in place. 

  • The food or money required to keep someone alive and healthy; one's support, maintenance. 

  • The main tower of a castle or fortress, located within the castle walls. 

verb
  • To supply with necessities and financially support (a person). 

  • To refrain from freely disclosing (a secret). 

  • To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain. 

  • To remain edible or otherwise usable. 

  • To remain in a state. 

  • To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; to not swerve from or violate. 

  • To raise; to care for. 

  • To have habitually in stock for sale. 

  • To act as wicket-keeper. 

  • To enter (accounts, records, etc.) in a book. 

  • To maintain the condition of; to preserve in a certain state. 

  • To restrain. 

  • To maintain (an establishment or institution); to conduct; to manage. 

  • To watch over, look after, guard, protect. 

  • To maintain possession of. 

  • To record transactions, accounts, or events in. 

  • To remain faithful to a given promise or word. 

  • To continue. 

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