erode

One entry found for erode.

Main Entry: erode
Pronunciation: i-'rOd
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): erod·ed; erod·ing
Etymology: Latin erodere to eat away, from e- + rodere to gnaw -- more at RODENT
transitive verb
1 : to diminish or destroy by degrees: a : to eat into or away by slow destruction of substance (as by acid, infection, or cancer) b : to wear away by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice <flooding eroded the hillside> c : to cause to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away <inflation eroding buying power>
2 : to produce or form by eroding <glaciers erode U-shaped valleys>
intransitive verb : to undergo erosion <where the land has eroded away>
- erod·ibil·i·ty /-"rO-d&-'bi-l&-tE/ noun
- erod·ible also erod·able /-'rO-d&-b&l/ adjective