abrade

Definition

To rub or wear off; erode.

Etymology

From Latin abrādō (“scrape off”), from ab (“from, away from”) + rādō (“scrape”). First attested in 1677.

Example Sentences

• "“Wildcat Ridge” is the name given to a rock about 3 feet (1 meter) wide that likely formed billions of years ago as mud and fine sand settled in an evaporating saltwater lake. On July 20, the rover abraded some of the surface of Wildcat Ridge so it could analyze the area with the instrument called Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals, or SHERLOC."