éroder

Forms

éroder^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin ērōdō (“to gnaw away, eat, graze”),^[2][3][4] formed ex- and rōdō (“to gnaw”);^[5][6][7] Rey notes that the simple verb has no known origin.^[3] The noun érosion (1541) is borrowed from the Latin derivative ērōsiō.^[3][4]

English erode (1610s) is either a back-formation from erosion or from the French verb.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ambroise Paré used it in 1564 of the acrid vapours that erode les parois et costés de la plaie “erode the walls and sides of the wound”.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The verb remained rare until the 19th century, then became a learned word for destroying something by slow action, matching érosion in geology.^[3][4][6] Figuratively it has meant “to reduce to nothing” since 1951, as when an argument is worn away.^[3]

Timeline

• 1541 – The noun érosion is borrowed.^[3][4]
• 1564 – Paré uses eroder of a wound.^[2][5]
• 1610s – English erode is first recorded.^[8]
• 19th century – The verb comes back into learned use.^[3][6]
• 1951 – First figurative use, “to reduce to nothing”.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (geology) To wear away slowly by water, wind or ice: la mer érode la falaise.^[2][9]
2. (medicine) To erode tissue, as a disease or an acid does.^[2][5]
3. (figurative) To reduce or wear down gradually.^[3]
4. (reflexive) s'éroder: to become worn away: le grès s'érode.^[9]

Related words

• érosion
• corroder
• ronger
• Latin ērōdō
• English erode

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert