Corrode
/kəˈroʊd/noun
To wear away or destroy gradually by chemical action or persistent force.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin corrodere, which combines com- (“together”) + rodere (“to gnaw”), so the original idea was something like teeth eating away at a surface.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*rewd-
“to gnaw, bite, or chew”
Latin
Latin
rodere
“to gnaw, bite, or eat away”
Latin
Latin
corrodere
“to gnaw through; eat away”
Late Middle English
English
corroden
“to eat away gradually, especially by biting or chemical action”
Modern English
English
corrode
“to gradually destroy or be destroyed by chemical or physical action”