Dictionary
de•com•pose
Pronunciation: (dē"kum-pōz'), [key]
—v., -posed, -pos•ing.
—
v.t.
to separate or resolve into constituent parts or elements; disintegrate:
The bacteria decomposed the milk into its solid and liquid elements.
—
v.i.
to rot; putrefy:
The egg began to decompose after a day in the sun. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.