Word
abrase
Definition
v. to wear away a surface by rubbing it against something rough. This is an old word that people rarely use today.
v. to wear away or erode a surface through friction or rubbing. Archaic in modern usage; primarily found in historical or technical contexts regarding material degradation.
Examples
“The rough stones abrase the smooth surface of the rock.”
“Over centuries, the constant wind and sand abrase the ancient stone carvings until they are nearly invisible.”
“The abrasive nature of the desert environment ensures that even the hardest minerals will eventually abrase and break down into fine dust.”
Examples
simple
“The rough stones abrase the smooth surface of the rock.”
contextual
“Over centuries, the constant wind and sand abrase the ancient stone carvings until they are nearly invisible.”
complex
“The abrasive nature of the desert environment ensures that even the hardest minerals will eventually abrase and break down into fine dust.”
Etymology
From Latin abrāsus, perfect passive participle of abrādō (“abrade”), from ab (“from, away from”) + rādō (“scrape”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/abrase