kəˈrōd verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English corroden, from Latin corrodere to gnaw to pieces, from com- + rodere to gnaw — more at rat
transitive verb
1. : to eat away by degrees as if by gnawing
corroded by consumption and indigence
: wear away or diminish by gradually separating or destroying small particles or converting into an easily disintegrated substance; especially : to eat away or diminish by acid or alkali reaction or by chemical alteration
the metal was corroded beyond repair by exposure
the caustic substance corroded the material so that it fell apart in the hands
2. obsolete : to eat or gnaw away
3. : to weaken or destroy (as spirit, strength, or force) by a gradual process of impairment
manners and miserliness that corrode the human spirit — Bernard DeVoto
intransitive verb
1. : to act corrosively
certain chemicals will corrode if left on bare metal
2. : to undergo corrosion
the bare metal began to corrode after a few weeks of exposure to the weather