v.
Pronunciation: i- ' r ō d
Function: verb
Inflected Form: erod · ed ; erod · ing
Etymology: Latin erodere to eat away, from e- + rodere to gnaw ― more at RODENT
Date: 1612
transitive verb
1 : to diminish or destroy by degrees: a : to eat into or away by slow destruction of substance (as by acid, infection, or cancer) b : to wear away by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice <flooding eroded the hillside> c : to cause to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away <inflation eroding buying power>
2 : to produce or form by eroding <glaciers erode U-shaped valleys>
intransitive verb : to undergo erosion <where the land has eroded away>
– erod · ibil · i · ty \ - ˌ r ō -d ə - ' bi-l ə -t ē \ noun
– erod · ible also erod · able \ - ' r ō -d ə -b ə l \ adjective