undecayed

Undecayed is an adjective used to describe matter that has not decayed or decomposed. It refers to organic material, tissues, foods, or other substances that have retained their original structure, texture, or appearance to a noticeable degree, in contrast with items that have undergone decay due to microbial, enzymatic, or environmental processes.

In scientific and scholarly contexts, undecayed is often reserved for formal descriptions of preservation state. It can apply to biological samples, archaeological or paleontological remains, and preserved artifacts where decay processes have been limited or halted by conditions such as cooling, drying, anaerobic storage, or mineralization. In everyday usage, however, speakers more frequently employ terms like intact, undecomposed, fresh, or well-preserved to convey a similar idea.

Etymology-wise, undecayed derives from the prefix un- plus decayed, and appears in English from the late medieval period. Today it remains relatively formal and less common in modern everyday language, where more common synonyms are preferred. In literature, the word may appear in historical or technical writing and can carry a slightly archaic or precise tone.

See also: decay, decomposition, preservation, intact, undecomposed.