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abrasion

[ uh-brey-zhuhn ]
/ əˈbreɪ ʒən /
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See synonyms for: abrasion / abrasions on Thesaurus.com
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.

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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

Words nearby abrasion

Abraham's bosom, Abram, abranchiate, abraser, abrash, abrasion, abrasive, abraxas, abrazo, abreact, abreaction
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to abrasion

scrape, injury, lesion, scratch, scuff, chafing, erosion, grating, rubbing, abrading

How to use abrasion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abrasion

abrasion
/ (əˈbreɪʒən) /
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

Scientific definitions for abrasion

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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