Bernard De Voto
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Corrode comes from Latin corrodere ("to gnaw to pieces"), a combination of the prefix "cor-" (used here as an intensifier with the meaning of "completely") and the verb "rodere" ("to gnaw"). At one time, "corrode" was used to literally indicate the action of gnawing away, as in "woodworms corroded the wood." But it is the more figurative senses from the action of gnawing or eating away that have persisted, as in "salt water corroded the iron" or "graphic content on television and the Internet is corroding the moral fabric of society."
Examples of corrode in a Sentence
Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
The oil from the materials named in a book Suharto banned now corroded the pages of his biography, as if his very tools of oil extraction had turned against his symbolic image.
—Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024
Beyond that, it’s clearly corroded her relationships.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2024
Salt can corrode pipes and possibly contaminate water by dissolving heavy metals, like lead.
—Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 10 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Corrode.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corrode. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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corrode
verb
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