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corrosion

[kuh-roh-zhuh n]
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noun
  1. the act or process of corroding; condition of being corroded.
  2. a product of corroding, as rust.
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Origin of corrosion

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French) < Late Latin corrōsiōn- (stem of corrōsiō) a gnawing away, equivalent to Latin corrōs(us), past participle of corrōdere to corrode + -iōn- -ion
Related formscor·ro·sion·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for corrosion

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Corrosion may be removed by washing the part in a solution of baking soda.

  • The valve was not easy to turn; it seemed fixed with the corrosion of ages.

    The Pygmy Planet

    John Stewart Williamson

  • It must have been new when this world froze, for there was no sign of corrosion or oxidation.

    Islands of Space

    John W Campbell

  • But the corrosion of him burned in her till it burned itself out.

    The Rainbow

    D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

  • Long after the Colorado began its work of corrosion there was a mighty upheaval.

    Our Italy

    Charles Dudley Warner

British Dictionary definitions for corrosion

corrosion

noun
  1. a process in which a solid, esp a metal, is eaten away and changed by a chemical action, as in the oxidation of iron in the presence of water by an electrolytic process
  2. slow deterioration by being eaten or worn away
  3. the condition produced by or the product of corrosion
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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 corrosion

n.

c.1400, from Middle French corrosion or directly from Latin corrosionem (nominative corrosio), noun of action from past participle stem of corrodere (see corrode).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
corrosion in Science

corrosion

[kə-rō′zhən]
  1. The breaking down or destruction of a material, especially a metal, through chemical reactions. The most common form of corrosion is rusting, which occurs when iron combines with oxygen and water.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.