abrasion

[ uh-brey-zhuhn ]

/ əˈbreɪ ʒən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abrasion 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.

Nearby words

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

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abrasion ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Examples from the Web for abrasion

It would be injudicious to ride again, or to have an injured hunter ridden again, until such an abrasion has healed.
The Horsewoman|Alice M. Hayes
The sudden arrest of his motion, the abrasion of one of his hands on the gravel, restored him, and he wept with delight.
The Scrap Book. Volume 1, No. 2|Various
Shelves of oxidized metal will be found smooth enough to prevent any abrasion of bindings.
A Book for All Readers|Ainsworth Rand Spofford
The average loss by abrasion of coin is estimated by Professor Bowen at one-twentieth of one per cent.
The Bay State Monthly, Vol. II, No. 6, March, 1885|Various

Is the ground moraine of Figure 87 due chiefly to abrasion or to plucking?
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton

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

Word Origin and History for abrasion

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).

Medicine definitions for abrasion

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.

Science 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.