Abrasion
/əˈbreɪ.ʒən/noun
The process of wearing away by rubbing, or a superficial scrape on the skin.
Did you know?Abrasion comes from Latin abrasio, from abradere, meaning “to scrape off,” and it shares the same ancient root as words tied to shaving, erasing, and removing by force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*hrep-
“to scrape, scratch, or rub”
Latin
Latin
radere
“to scrape, shave, or scratch”
Latin
Latin
abradere
“to scrape off”
Late Latin
Latin
abrasio
“a scraping off”
14th–17th Century
English
abrasion
“the act or process of scraping or wearing away”
Modern English
English
abrasion
“wearing away by friction; a superficial scrape”