English Explanatory Dictionary

attrition

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Grinding down or wearing away by friction.
  2. The wearing of teeth due to their grinding.
  3. A gradual reduction in number.
  4. A gradual, natural reduction in membership or personnel, as through injury, incapacitation, retirement, resignation, or death.
  5. The loss of participants during an experiment.
  6. The loss of a first or second language or a portion of that language.
  7. Imperfect contrition or remorse.
verb
  1. To grind or wear down through friction.
  2. To reduce the number of (jobs or workers) by not hiring new employees to fill positions that become vacant (often with out).
  3. To undergo a reduction in number.

Pronunciation

/əˈtɹɪʃən/ /əˈtɹɪʃn̩/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-attrition.wav

Word forms

attrition attritions attritioning attritioned

Etymology

15th century, from Middle English attricion, attricioun, from Middle French attricion, attrition and its etymon, Latin attrītiō (“a rubbing against”), from the verb attrītus, past participle of atterō (“to wear”), from ad- (“to, towards”) + terō (“to rub”). By surface analysis, attrit + -ion.

Synonyms

natural wastage attrit

Antonyms

accretion

Related words

contrition

Derived words

antiattrition attrit attrite attritional attritionary attrition bias attrition damage attrition warfare attritive interattrition war of attrition

Translations

Bulgarian: изтъркване Bulgarian: изтриване Chinese Mandarin: 磨損 /磨损 Dutch: slijtage Dutch: sleet Esperanto: forfrotiĝo Finnish: kuluminen Finnish: hiertyminen Finnish: väheneminen Finnish: hupeneminen Finnish: rapautuminen Finnish: hävikki French: usure German: Verschleiß German: Abnutzung German: Abrieb German: Zermürbung German: Abreibung German: Abschürfung Greek: τριβή Hebrew: שחיקה Hungarian: kopás Hungarian: felőrlődés Hungarian: felmorzsolódás Japanese: 磨耗 Latin: attrītiō Macedonian: три́ење Occitan: abrasion Occitan: atricion Occitan: ameniment Occitan: amermament Portuguese: atrito Russian: истира́ние Russian: стира́ние Russian: тре́ние Serbo-Croatian: istiranje Serbo-Croatian: habanje Spanish: abrasión Swedish: nötning Swedish: förslitning Turkish: yıpratma
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