Attrition
/əˈtrɪʃən/noun
The act of wearing something down by friction, pressure, or repeated loss.
Did you know?Its deepest root is the same ancient idea behind “tribulation” and “thrive”-adjacent Latin forms: pressure, rubbing, and hardship were literally imagined as being ground down.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ter-
“to rub, rub through, wear down”
Latin
Latin
terere
“to rub, wear away, grind”
Latin
Latin
attritio
“a rubbing against, wearing away; in Christian Latin, contrition”
14th-16th Century
French/English
attricion
“wearing away, gradual reduction; also remorse/contrition in religious usage”
Modern English
English
attrition
“gradual reduction in numbers, strength, or effectiveness; wearing down by friction”
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