Abrade is a verb that means ‘to rub or wear away.’

Coming from the Latin word ‘abradere’ (ab rah DARE ay) which means ‘to scrape away,’ our word of the day has been with us since the late 17th century. Here’s an example of abrade in use:

I was always afraid that if I left my bike outside, the rain and wind would abrade its frame over time, and let’s face it, metal that’s been all scraped away is not nearly as strong and stable.