erode

To erode is defined as to gradually wear away, or to be gradually worn away.

(verb)

When water continually washes over soil and begins to wash away that soil, this is an example of a situation where the water erodes the soil.
When the side beds of a stream are washed away because of the ongoing movement of the water, this is an example of a situation where the side beds can be said to erode.
When someone's confidence is gradually worn away at and diminished, this is an example of a situation where his confidence is eroded.

See erode in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb eroded, eroding

Origin: Fr éroder < L erodere < e-, out, off + rodere, to gnaw: see rat

intransitive verb

to become eroded

Related Forms:

city in Tamil Nadu state, S India, on the Cauvery River: pop. 159,000

See erode in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb e·rod·ed, e·rod·ing, e·rodes

verb, transitive

To wear (something) away by or as if by abrasion: Waves eroded the shore.
To eat into; corrode.
To make or form by wearing away: The river eroded a deep valley.
To cause to diminish or deteriorate as if by eating into or wearing away: “Long enduring peace often erodes popular resolution” (C.L. Sulzberger).

verb, intransitive

To become worn or eaten away: The cliffs have eroded over the centuries. Public confidence in the administration eroded.

Origin:

Origin: Latin ērōdere, to gnaw off, eat away

Origin: : ē-, ex-, ex-

Origin: + rōdere, to gnaw; see rēd- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms: