decompose

verb

1 the chemical prevents corpses from decomposing:

decay, rot, putrefy, go bad, go off, spoil, fester, perish, deteriorate, degrade, break down, break up, moulder;

technical mortify, necrotize, sphacelate;

archaic corrupt.

2 some minerals decompose very rapidly:

break up, break apart, fall apart, fragment, disintegrate, crumble, dissolve;

break down, decay.

3 semantic markers decompose the meanings of words into more primitive elements:

separate, divide, break down, dissect, atomize, dissolve, resolve, reduce;

rare fractionate.

decompose Oxford Dictionary of English