attrition
UK /əˈtɹɪʃn̩/ · US /əˈtɹɪʃən/ noun, verb
Forms attritions attritioning attritioned
- noun Grinding down or wearing away by friction.
- noun (dentistry) The wearing of teeth due to their grinding.
- noun A gradual reduction in number.
- noun (human resources) A gradual, natural reduction in membership or personnel, as through injury, incapacitation, retirement, resignation, or death.
- noun (sciences) The loss of participants during an experiment.
- noun (linguistics) The loss of a first or second language or a portion of that language.
- noun (theology) Imperfect contrition or remorse.
- verb (transitive) To grind or wear down through friction. “attritioned teeth; attritioned rock”
- verb (transitive) To reduce the number of (jobs or workers) by not hiring new employees to fill positions that become vacant (often with out).
- verb (intransitive) To undergo a reduction in number. “The cohort of one hundred students had attritioned to sixty by the end of secondary school.”
Synonyms
natural wastage attrit abrasion corrasion detrition grinding contrition contriteness
Antonyms
Etymology
First attested in the 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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of rubbing together; friction; the act of wearing by friction, or by rubbing substances together; abrasion.
- noun The state of being worn. Johnson.
Etymology [L. attritio: cf. F. attrition.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “attrition”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details