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Today it means

erode

to gradually wear away

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Where does the word "erode" come from? It comes from Latin erodere, and was adopted directly into English (1610s).

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Where does the word "erode" come from? It comes from Latin erodere, and was adopted directly into English (1610s).

Erode’s story begins in Latin: erodere meant “to gnaw away.” 'e-' plus 'rodere', to gnaw, the root of 'rodent'. It reached English by 1610s as erode. Geological 'erosion' dates from the 1800s. Today, erode means to gradually wear away.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient erodere "to gnaw away", 'e-' plus 'rodere', to gnaw, the root of 'rodent'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1610s erode "to eat away", geological 'erosion' dates from the 1800s.

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