/ əˈtrɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ U ] ( formal )
1.
a process of making sb/sth, especially your enemy, weaker by repeatedly attacking them or creating problems for them :
It was a war of attrition .
2.
( especially NAmE ) = natural wastage
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from late Latin attritio(n-) , from atterere to rub.