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 verb1: 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

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