Abraid

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈbɹeɪd/

Definitions

1. To scrape or rub away the surface of a material, causing erosion or thinning
2. To gradually wear down or remove layers from a surface by friction or scraping
3. To cause a surface to become worn through rubbing or scraping action

Etymology: Its oldest recorded sense has little to do with scraping. The Old English verb "ābreġdan" meant to move quickly, draw out, unsheathe, or pull away, and its prefix carried the idea of "out." In Middle English, the word could still mean to start up, wake, or reproach someone, as if jolting them into motion. The modern sense of wearing something down grew out of that idea of drawing something away from a surface. The verb is linked to "braid" because the plaiting sense of "braid" descends from the same Old English root, which originally meant to move back and forth or weave. Dutch and German have related verbs that mean to knit.