abrasion

[uh-brey-zhuhn]

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noun

a scraped spot or area; the result of rubbing or abrading: abrasions on his leg caused by falling on the gravel.

the act or process of abrading.

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

Synonyms for abrasion

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abrasion ON THESAURUS.COM

1. sore, scrape, lesion. 2. rubbing, erosion.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for abrasion

scrape, chafe, scratch, injury, scuff, scratching, erosion, grating, rubbing, chafing

Examples from the Web for abrasion

Historical Examples of abrasion

His remaining works are much injured by scaling or the abrasion of the colors.
Introduction to Robert Browning
Hiram Corson
The discipline of the force in this respect is nothing; it is worn away by abrasion.
Chicago, Satan's Sanctum
L. O. Curon
There appears to be no evidence whatever of abrasion by use.
Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans
William H. Holmes
Is the ground moraine of Figure 87 due chiefly to abrasion or to plucking?
The Elements of Geology
William Harmon Norton
Often, indeed, one side may show no trace whatsoever of abrasion.
Fragments of Earth Lore
James Geikie

British Dictionary definitions for abrasion

abrasion

noun

the process of scraping or wearing down by friction

a scraped area or spot; graze

geography the effect of mechanical erosion of rock, esp a river bed, by rock fragments scratching and scraping it; wearing downCompare attrition (def. 4), corrasion

Word Origin for abrasion

C17: from Medieval Latin abrāsiōn-, from the past participle of Latin abrādere to abrade

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abrasion

1650s, from Medieval Latin abrasionem (nominative abrasio) "a scraping," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin abradere "to scrape away, shave off," from ab- "off" (see ab-) + radere "to scrape" (see raze).

abrasion in Medicine

abrasion

[ə-brā′zhən]

n.

A scraping away of a portion of a surface.

The wearing down or rubbing away or removal of the superficial layers of skin or mucous membrane in a limited area.

The pathological wearing away of tooth substance by mechanical means; grinding.

abrasion in Science

abrasion

[ə-brā′zhən]

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.

A scraped area on the skin or mucous membranes.