rot

n. 腐烂,腐蚀,败坏
v. 腐烂,使...枯朽,衰弱

Too much television rots your brain.

多看电视会使你的头脑退化。

He thinks that the rot set in when the country was opened up to tourists.

他认为自从国家向旅游者开放之时起，腐败就开始了。