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corrosio

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word corrosio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
300s–400s Pseudo-Rufinus More words from the 3rd century
Ultimate origin
Latin corrōdō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin rōdō
Latin corrōdō
English corrode
Latin corrōsiō
English corrosion
From the same root
Latin ērōdō ← rōdō
Latin rōstrum ← rōdō

Forms

corrōsiō f (genitive corrōsiōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin corrōdō (“to gnaw”) + -tiō.[1][2] The simple verb rōdō (“to gnaw”) goes back to Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₃d-e/o- or *ureh₃d-e/o- (“to gnaw, furrow”), though de Vaan calls the root etymology uncertain.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest example is in the commentary on the Psalms ascribed to Rufinus, which explains the gnashing of teeth as a gnawing and speaks of a savage gnawing of words.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Medieval writers used it of gnawing and eating away, by worms in wood or by mice,[5][6] and in medicine of the wasting of tissue, gnawing pain, decay of the teeth and the corrosive action of a remedy.[5][6] English borrowed it about 1400 as corrosion, partly through Old French.[7]

Timeline

  • 4th/5th century AD – The commentary on the Psalms ascribed to Rufinus uses it of gnashing teeth.[2][4]
  • 13th century – Albert the Great uses it of a snake's bite.[5][4]
  • c. 1400 – Borrowed into English as corrosion.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A gnawing, eating away.[2][8][5][6]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Corrosion, wearing away, decay.[5][1]
  3. (Medieval Latin, medicine) Wasting of tissue; gnawing pain.[6][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e f Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c d Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Corrosio.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/corrosio. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·