ERODE

erode, eat away, fret

(verb) remove soil or rock; “Rain eroded the terraces”

erode, gnaw, gnaw at, eat at, wear away

(verb) become ground down or deteriorate; “Her confidence eroded”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

erode (third-person singular simple present erodes, present participle eroding, simple past and past participle eroded)

To wear away by abrasion, corrosion or chemical reaction.

(figurative) To destroy gradually by an ongoing process.

Anagrams

• doree

Source: Wiktionary

E*rode", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Eroded; p. pr. & vb. n. Eroding.] Etym: [L. erodere, erosum; e out + rodere to gnaw. See Rodent.]

Definition: To eat into or away; to corrode; as, canker erodes the flesh. "The blood . . . erodes the vessels." Wiseman. The smaller charge is more apt to . . . erode the gun. Am. Cyc.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition