erode
verb
[ ɪˈrəʊd ]
• (of wind, water, or other natural agents) gradually wear away (soil, rock, or land).
• "the cliffs on this coast have been eroded by the sea"
Origin:
early 17th century: from French éroder or Latin erodere, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out, away’ + rodere ‘gnaw’.
