noun
erosion
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it), also figuratively
Where it comes from
Erosion is built on Latin erodere, to eat or gnaw away. Erodere joined ex-, away or out, in its assimilated form e-, to rodere, to gnaw. Rodere is also the source of rodent, literally an animal characterized by gnawing.
How the meaning developed
The word was used for material being eaten away, including bodily tissue, before geology made it a central term for earth material worn loose and transported. Figurative erosion treats trust, rights, or value as material gradually gnawed away rather than destroyed in one blow.
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Sources
Definitions adapted from Open English WordNet where applicable. License and attribution. Word-history text comes from Lexifour’s sourced social research; pages are assembled automatically, not individually fact-checked on every update.
Updated 2026-09-25. Report a correction.