abrasion
n.n. a thin layer of rock or soil that is worn away by wind, water, or ice. In medicine, it also means a small scrape on the skin.
n. the process of wearing away rock or soil through mechanical action; also refers to a superficial scrape or scratch on the skin.
The wind caused a thin layer of abrasion on the stone.
Geologists studied the abrasion of the canyon walls to understand how the river shaped the landscape over thousands of years.
While the outer layer of the rock was smoothed by centuries of abrasion, the inner core remained jagged and resistant to the relentless forces of erosion.
First attested in 1656. From French abrasion (attested since 1611), from Medieval Latin abrasio (“a scraping”), from Latin abrādō (“scrape off”). See also abrade.