Abrase

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To scrape or rub away the surface of something, especially by friction or wearing down
2. To wear off or grate away the outer layer of a material through repeated scraping
3. Removing part of a surface by scratching or friction, as an archaic variant of abrade

Etymology: "Abrase" is a rare verb meaning to scrape away the surface of something, and it comes straight from Latin. Its source is "abrādere," meaning "to scrape off," built from "ab," meaning "from" or "away from," and "rādere," meaning "to scrape." The English word is therefore a compact picture of its own meaning: take the scraping motion of "rādere" and send it away from the object, and you have a surface being shaved off. The same Latin verb also gave English "abrade," which has the same core sense but is far more common. Both words descend from the same Latin base, so "abrase" and "abrade" are close relatives, with "abrase" the less familiar of the pair. Where "abrade" is used for wearing down a surface through friction, "abrase" carries the more literal idea of scraping something off.