ABRASION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does abrasion mean? 

• ABRASION (noun)
  The noun ABRASION has 3 senses:

1. an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off

2. erosion by friction

3. the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice

  Familiarity information: ABRASION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ABRASION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

abrasion; excoriation; scrape; scratch

Hypernyms ("abrasion" is a kind of...):

lesion; wound (an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "abrasion"):

graze (a superficial abrasion)

rope burn (abrasion (usually on the hands) caused by friction from a rope)

Derivation:

abrade (wear away)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Erosion by friction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

abrasion; attrition; corrasion; detrition

Hypernyms ("abrasion" is a kind of...):

eating away; eroding; erosion; wearing; wearing away ((geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it))

Derivation:

abrade (wear away)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

abrasion; attrition; detrition; grinding

Hypernyms ("abrasion" is a kind of...):

friction; rubbing (the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another)

Derivation:

abrade (wear away)

 Context examples 

Other possible causes include corneal abrasion, corneal ulcer, inturned eye lash or acute conjunctivitis.

(Foreign Body Sensation, NCI Thesaurus)

However, the term hardness may also refer to resistance to bending, scratching, abrasion or cutting.

(Device Hardness Testing Evaluation Method, Food and Drug Administration)

She noticed that the hand he waved was covered with fresh abrasions, in the process of healing, and a glance at the other loose-hanging hand showed it to be in the same condition.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

As long as the criminal remains upon two legs so long must there be some indentation, some abrasion, some trifling displacement which can be detected by the scientific searcher.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)