Main Entry: erode

Pronunciation: \i-ˈrōd\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): erod·ed; erod·ing

Etymology: Latin erodere to eat away, from e- + rodere to gnaw — more at rodent

Date: 1612

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 \-ˌrō-də-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— erod·ible also erod·able \-ˈrō-də-bəl\ adjective