Verb (used with object) : The dampness of the climate decayed the books.    From Dictionary.com. 

He was inspired by the idea of decayed elegance but also wanted to reflect how Miss Havisham could have looked as a young girl.    From Wordnik.com.  [Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph] Reference

He was inspired by the idea of decayed elegance but also wanted to reflect how Miss Haversham could have looked as a young girl.    From Wordnik.com.  [Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph] Reference

A small spoonful of used coffee grounds was added to the water to enhance the "decayed" sort of look.    From Wordnik.com.  [doggdot.us] Reference

"decayed," and are memorable chiefly as favourite characters of great actors and actresses.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Works of Lord Byron. Vol. 2] Reference

A portion to be applied frequently to the decayed tooth.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Ladies Book of Useful Information Compiled from many sources] Reference

They were decayed because she couldn't afford to go to a dentist.    From Wordnik.com.  [Bridging the Gap] Reference

Its nuclear waste didn't wander and has long since decayed to lead.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Atomic Bomb] Reference

They've found a decayed suitcase, stuck inside an upstairs fireplace.    From Wordnik.com.  [Tana French's new mystery, "Faithful Place," reviewed by Maureen Corrigan] Reference

The spring came up through a decayed opening in the root of the tree.    From Wordnik.com.  [Trials and Triumphs of Faith] Reference

He withdrew a pace or two, and took up his position beneath a decayed elm.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Hero of Garside School] Reference

The decayed "serpentine rusting shape," on the other hand, symbolizes the Nazis.    From Wordnik.com.  [When Creator and Owner Clash] Reference

A molar tooth becomes excessively long if the opposite one is decayed or removed.    From Wordnik.com.  [Common Diseases of Farm Animals] Reference

Peat is the partly decayed vegetation which has slowly accumulated in wet places.    From Wordnik.com.  [Conservation Reader] Reference

This naturally occurring decayed material becomes compost -- free lunch for our plants!.    From Wordnik.com.  [Annie Spiegelman: Saving Money in the Garden: 7 Earthly Tips] Reference

Infallible cure for toothache; Mixture for decayed teeth; To whiten and beautify the teeth.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Ladies Book of Useful Information Compiled from many sources] Reference

At length Paul's glance rested upon the decayed old elm-tree, near which they were standing.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Hero of Garside School] Reference

To start, over the past three years, the fiscal position of the U.S. government has decayed dramatically.    From Wordnik.com.  [AT THE CROSSROADS] Reference

Cars surged into driveways, doors slammed their goodnights, human voices echoed and decayed in the distance.    From Wordnik.com.  [Prickly Heat] Reference

The chambers looked, if possible, more decayed and dilapidated by daylight than they had upon the preceding night.    From Wordnik.com.  [The International Magazine, Volume 2, No. 3, February, 1851] Reference

Oruro is a cold and rather somber location, with fading paint, decayed buildings and a noticed lack of street repair.    From Wordnik.com.  [Nathaniel Loewentheil: Deviled Dancers, Drunken Pilgrimages and the Magic of Bolivia's Carnaval] Reference

As far as the eye could see, the walls stretched away, decayed and crumbling, descending gradually toward the stream.    From Wordnik.com.  [The French Immortals Series — Complete] Reference

The building fell into disrepair, its wooden seats decayed, the screen was torn, and the premises filled with garbage.    From Wordnik.com.  [Cinema Jenin brings movies and revival to a scarred West Bank city] Reference

Hundreds of barrels of potatoes and onions were unloaded upon the docks and were so badly decayed as to make them useless.    From Wordnik.com.  [History of the Gatling Gun Detachment] Reference

Most of the vocal parts are by friends, but that doesn't mean Moby has abandoned sampling's fascination with decayed sound.    From Wordnik.com.  [Moby Returns With A Thoughtful Vengeance] Reference

Thy raiment, with which thou wast covered, hath not decayed for age, and thy foot is not worn, lo this is the fortieth year.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Book 05: Deuteronomy The Challoner Revision] Reference

It is much decayed and overturned; the northern side is far less so than the southern; nowhere are there any signs of repairs.    From Wordnik.com.  [Historical Introduction to Studies Among the Sedentary Indians of New Mexico; Report on the Ruins of the Pueblo of Pecos Papers Of The Archæological Institute Of America, American Series, Vol. I] Reference

"Riddley Walker" by Russell Hoban is set in a post-apocalyptic England in which all but the most basic civilization has decayed.    From Wordnik.com.  [Finding Escape In The Familiar With 'Riddley Walker'] Reference

Bridgeport, Conn., wants to redevelop its decayed waterfront, using tax dollars generated by a huge casino-cum-entertainment center.    From Wordnik.com.  [Fool's Gold In Black Hawk?] Reference

Ethiopia says Eritrea "looted" the food; the Eritreans maintain that it decayed at the port, in part because of bombing by Ethiopia.    From Wordnik.com.  [Hunger In The Horn] Reference

And Juda said: The strength of the bearer of burdens is decayed, and the rubbish is very much, and we shall not be able to build the wall.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Book 16: 2 Esdras The Challoner Revision] Reference