abrasion

American  

[uh-brey-zhuhn] / əˈbreɪ ʒən /

noun

1. a scraped spot or area; the result of rubbing or abrading.

   abrasions on his leg caused by falling on the gravel.

   Synonyms:

   lesion, scrape, sore

2. the act or process of abrading.

   Synonyms:

   erosion, rubbing

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abrasion British  

/ əˈbreɪʒən /

noun

1. the process of scraping or wearing down by friction

2. a scraped area or spot; graze

3. geography the effect of mechanical erosion of rock, esp a river bed, by rock fragments scratching and scraping it; wearing down Compare attrition corrasion

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abrasion Scientific  

/ ə-brā′zhən /

1. The process of wearing away a surface by friction. A rock undergoes abrasion when particles of sand or small pieces of rock are carried across its surface by a glacier, stream, or the wind.

2. A scraped area on the skin or mucous membranes.

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Etymology

Origin of abrasion

1650–60; < Medieval Latin abrāsiōn- (stem of abrāsiō ), equivalent to abrās ( us ) scraped off (past participle of abrādere; see abrade) + -iōn- -ion

Compare meaning

How does abrasion compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• excoriation vs. abrasion
• contusion vs. abrasion

Explanation

An abrasion is a scrape. An abrasion can happen to a person, as in a skinned knee, or to an object, as in what you get when you apply sandpaper to wood. The noun abrasion comes to us from the Latin abradere, which means “scrape away” or “shave off.” Any area that shows evidence of scratching or scraping can be called an abrasion, like that spot on the front bumper of your car from when you cut it too close pulling into the gas station. Abrasion can also mean the process of friction causing scratches, as in: "the abrasion of everyone sliding chairs on the floor left terrible marks."

Related Words

• scrape