ERODE


Meaning of ERODE in English

ə̇ˈrōd, ēˈ- verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Latin erodere to erode, from e- + rodere to gnaw — more at rat

transitive verb

1. : to diminish or destroy by degrees : eat into or away:

a. : to eat into or away by slow destruction of substance (as by acid, infection, or cancer) : corrode

acids that erode the teeth

cancer had eroded the bone

b.

(1) : to wear down or away by separation of small particles

friction erodes the moving parts of machinery

: rub or scrape away; specifically : to remove with an abrasive

a dental tool that quickly erodes the decayed tooth area

(2) : to wear away (as land) by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice

drainage quickly erodes the fine soil of the plowed hillside

a mountain range that has been eroded into low hills

c. : to cause to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away : destroy by degrees

his commitment to a world of conferences … and agitation has eroded his family life — Anthony West

: wear

the institution is eroded away … person by person — R.T.LaPiere

: impair

erode the purchasing power of wages

: undermine

repeated compromises that erode the basic principle of freedom of worship

2. : to produce or form by eroding

glaciers erode U-shaped valleys

intransitive verb

1. : to undergo erosion (as by weathering)

where the land has eroded away

2. : to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away

when the rights of any … are chipped away the freedom of all erodes — Earl Warren

his regional accent has nearly eroded

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.