decadence (dekadens)

[F. décadence = Sp. Pg. decadencia = It. decadenza, decalcify (de-kal'si-fi), v. t.; pret. and pp. de calcified, ppr. decalcifying. [ If dentine has been decalcified at any place by the action of acids, it undergoes putrefaction under the influence of bacteria which do not seem to belong to any specific species. Nature, XXX. 140.