Definition: An object or animal used to attract or lure others, often for hunting or to mislead someone.

Example: The hunter set up a decoy to attract the ducks to his location.

Definition: To attract or trick someone or something into a trap or a specific place using a fake object or person.

Example: The hunters used a fake bird to decoy the real ones into their nets.

Definition: Becoming gradually smaller or less in amount or intensity.

Example: The moon was decrescent, showing only a small sliver of light in the night sky.

Definition: Arranged in pairs at right angles to each other, often creating an X shape, especially in botany.

Example: The decussate leaves of the plant create a unique pattern on the stem.

Definition: To cross or intersect in a way that forms an X shape.

Example: The branches of the tree decussate, creating a unique pattern.

Definition: A crossing that forms an X shape, often referring to the connection of nerve fibers between opposite sides of the brain or spinal cord.

Example: The decussation of nerve fibers allows for communication between the left and right sides of the brain.

Definition: To lose or reverse the process of becoming different or specialized.

Example: In some cases, cells can dedifferentiate and return to a more basic state.

Definition: The act of causing something to lose its original form or appearance, often resulting in damage or disfigurement.

Example: The artist's work was criticized for its defeature, which altered the original beauty of the sculpture.

Definition: To burn something quickly and with a lot of heat and light.

Example: The chemist decided to deflagrate the mixture to observe the reaction.

Definition: A type of combustion that occurs quickly and produces a lot of heat and light, often resulting in an explosion or intense fire.

Example: The deflagration caused significant damage to the building and surrounding area.

Definition: To lose air or gas, causing a reduction in size or pressure.

Example: The balloon deflated slowly after being pricked by a thorn.

Definition: To let air or gas out of something, causing it to become smaller or less full. It can also mean to reduce the importance or value of something.

Example: He had to deflate the balloon before putting it away.

Definition: An object that changes the direction of something, like a stream of fluid or particles, so that it moves away from its original path.

Example: The engineer designed a deflector to redirect the airflow around the aircraft wings.