lete /dei'kDltei; NAmE ,deika:l'tei/) noun (from French) the top edge of a
woman’s dress, etc. that is designed to be very low in order to show her
shoulders and the top part of her breasts ft £^(ft ) ► de col
lete adj.
decol on ization (BrE also -isa-tion) /dii.kDlanai- 'zeijn; NAmE -,ka:lana'z-/ noun [U] the process of
a colony or colonies becoming independent
(M)it;
&£*&&&
decom mission /.diika’mijn/ verb [VN] to officially
stop using weapons, a nuclear power station, etc. JE^;
®&m)
de com pose /.diikam'pauz; NAmE -'pouz/ verb 1 to be destroyed
gradually by natural chemical processes ECT7I decay, rot: [V] a decomposing corpse P fa 0 As the
waste materials decompose, they produce methane gas. ^ ® ft Ttf 4* 7* £ H •. o
[VN] a decomposed body fa 2
[VN, V] ~ (sth) (into
sth) (technical fa. ig) to divide sth
into smaller parts; to divide into smaller parts ( ) jfrm ► decomposition
/.diikrnnpa'zijn; NAmE -ka:m-/
noun [U]: the decomposition of organic waste
de com press /,di:kam'pres/ verb 1 [V, VN] to have the
air pressure in sth reduced to a normal level or to reduce it to its normal
level ( {£ ) MS; ( in ) ®JJEE 2 [VN] (computing if)
to return files, etc. to their original size after they have been compressed fl#S£t ( #S*f *#***»1K**N:) BGQ compress
de com pres sion /.diikam'pre.fn/ noun [U] 1 a reduction in air
pressure; the act of reducing the pressure of the air MS; £PS: a decompression
chamber (= a piece of equipment that divers sit in so that they can return slowly to normal air
pressure after being deep in the sea) MSM (
H S ) <> decompression
sickness (= severe pain and difficulty in breathing experienced by divers who come back to the surface of
deep water too quickly)
MM (
HI*! ) —see also
up mm (>
de com pres sor /,di:kam'presa(r)/ noun (BrE) 1 (technical Ti«) a device for reducing pressure in a vehicle’s engine
( W
) MS3IS, MM 2 (com
puting if) a computer program which returns
files, etc. to their original size after they have been compressed
mmni¥
decongestant /,di:
de-con-se-crate /.dii'knnsikreit; NAmE -'ka:n-/ verb [VN] (religion *?) to stop using sth, especially a building, for a
religious purpose ffihlE ( (HJ;
■JE
• • • $t: a deconsecrated church gfc fa #f ► de-con-se-cra-tion noun [U]
de con struct /,di:kan'strAkt/ verb [VN] (technical T"®) (in literature and philosophy A ^ fP 1? ^)
to analyse a text in order to show that there is no fixed meaning within the
text but that the meaning is created each time in the act of reading R
decon struction /.diikan'strAkfn/ noun [U] (technical Ti§j (in literature and philosophy a theory
that states that it is
impossible for a text to have one fixed meaning, and emphasizes the role of the
reader in the production of meaning M^Sik ( ATT hJKsR
—
compare structuralism ►
de-con-struc-tion-ist
noun, adj.: a
deconstructionist critic/approach
decon-tam-in-ate /.diikan'taemineit/ verb [VN] to remove
harmful substances from a place of thing ?f H ® M; j# ]^ • • • (ft fs
$5*: the process of decontaminating areas exposed to radioactivity 'M ^ IX
WilF
^^(ftjkll ► de-con-tam-in-ation /.diikan.taemi'neijn/ noun
[U] ’
de con trol /.diikan'traul; NAmE
-'troul/ verb (-II-) [VN]
(formal, especially NAmE) if a government
decontrols sth, it removes legal controls from it ft? [^ • • • (ft
M ; Jt IS ■• • (ft H ft] ECTfl deregulate ► de con trol
noun [U]
decor /'deikoi(r); NAmE
dei'koir/ noun [U, C, usually sing.] the style in which the inside of a
building is decorated ( interior decor
g
o the restaurant’s elegant new decor
mmmmm
decorate <Ht /'dekareit/ verb 1
[VN] ~ sth (with sth) to make sth look more attractive by putting things on it : They decorated the
room with flowers and
balloons.
| b] o o The
cake was decorated to look like a car. jtS $t A # # —
SS H fp* 2 (especially BrE) to put paint,
wallpaper, etc. on the walls and ceilings of a room
or house OTJ; [V] J hate
decorating, fSi1*
0 He has his own painting and decorating
business. 0 [VN] We
need to decorate the
sitting room.
To
o The sitting room needs decorating. ^jf
%3c JfjjiJ o 3 [VN] to be placed on sth in order to make it look more
attractive A Si; H77I adorn : Photographs
of actors decorated the
walls of the restaurant. M
(ft ffl
4
[VN] [usually passive] ~ sb (for sth) to give sb a medal as a sign of respect for sth they
have done &*£('£ A ) *&*(«£*) dec-oration IHr /.deka'reijn/ noun
1
[C, usually pi.] a thing that makes sth
look more
attractive on special occasions ifp : Christmas
decorations O a table decoration
2
[U, C] a pattern, etc. that is added to
sth and that stops it from being plain the
elaborate decor
ation on the carved wooden
door
Tit Hi:ft Jt(ft3£1ftlll ^ 3 [U] the style in which sth is decorated a
Chinese theme in the interior decoration 1#iJ| 4 [U] (BrE) the
act or process of decorating sth such as the inside of a house by painting it,
etc. (
(ft ) , ||5[C],a medal that is given to sb as an
honour^#;
dec ora tive On /'dekaratrv; NAmE
‘dekareitiv/ adj.
(of an object or a building %fa$cM$[) decorated in a
way that makes it attractive; intended to look attractive or pretty W; W:
The mirror is functional yet decorative. A, 0
purely decorative arches
.decorative 'arts noun [pi.] artistic
activities which produce objects which are useful and beautiful at the same
time 'jkffizlfa
dec-orator /'dekareita(r)/ noun
a person whose job is painting and decorating houses ( ®
mis.
decor ous /‘dekaras/ adj.
(formal) polite and appropriate in a particular social situation; not
shocking %mfaM\ «i£tsw mn proper: a decorous kiss ►
dec-or-ous-ly adv.
de-corum /di'koiram/ noun [U] (formal)
polite behaviour that is appropriate in a social situation %l>%l%fa\
H33 PROPRIETY
de-coup-age /.deikui'pa^/ noun
[u] (art HT) the art of decorating furniture or other objects by cutting
out pictures or designs on paper and sticking them onto the surface WifaMft
Sfa
de-couple /dii'kApl/ verb
[VN] ~ sth (from sth) (formal) to
end the connection or relationship between two things
(raw?
decoy /'di:koi/ noun [C] 1 an animal or a bird, or a model of one,
that attracts other animals or birds, especially so that they can be shot by
people who are hunting them ( jg#,
a
thing or a person that is used to trick sb into doing what you want them to do,
going where you want them to go, etc. if IS; if 38%; ffif^if iSftlA; ftJL ► decoy /di'koi/ verb
[VN]