Erosion - Definitions from Dictionary.com

8 results for: Erosion

OptionsHouse - Switch Now
Professional Grade Options Trading $9.95/Option $4.95/Stock, Flat Rate
www.OptionsHouse.com

Sponsored Link

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

e·ro·sion

Audio Help [i-roh-zhuh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	the act or state of eroding; state of being eroded.

2.	the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc.

[Origin: 1535–45; < L érōsiōn- (s. of érōsiō). See erose, -ion

]

—Related forms

e·ro·sion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Erosion

To learn more about Erosion visit Britannica.com

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

e·ro·sion Audio Help (ĭ-rō'zhən) Pronunciation Key
n.

The process of eroding or the condition of being eroded: erosion of the beach; progressive erosion of confidence in our legal system; erosion of the value of the dollar abroad.
The group of natural processes, including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation, by which material is worn away from the earth's surface.

[Latin ērōsiō, ērōsiōn-, an eating away, from ērōsus, eaten away; see erose.]

e·ro'sion·al adj., e·ro'sion·al·ly adv.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
erosion

1541, from M.Fr. erosion, from L. erosionem (nom. erosio), from erodere "gnaw away," from ex- "away" + rodere "gnaw" (see rodent).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

erosion
noun
1.	(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
2.	condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind
3.	a gradual decline of something; "after the accounting scandal there was an erosion of confidence in the auditors"
4.	erosion by chemical action [syn: corrosion]

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

erosion Audio Help (ĭ-rō'zhən) Pronunciation Key
The gradual wearing away of land surface materials, especially rocks, sediments, and soils, by the action of water, wind, or a glacier. Usually erosion also involves the transport of eroded material from one place to another, as from the top of a mountain to an adjacent valley, or from the upstream portion of a river to the downstream portion.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
erosion

A type of weathering in which surface soil and rock are worn away through the action of glaciers, water, and wind.

[Chapter:] Earth Sciences

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Erosion

E*ro"sion\, n. [L. erosio. See Erode.]

1. The act or operation of eroding or eating away.

2. The state of being eaten away; corrosion; canker.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Erosion

E*ro"sion\, n. The wearing away of the earth's surface by any natural process. The chief agent of erosion is running water; minor agents are glaciers, the wind, and waves breaking against the coast.

Browse Nearby Entries: