Erode
Erode , transitive verb
[Latin erodere, erosum; e out + rodere to gnaw. See Rodent.]
1.
To eat into or away; to corrode; as, canker erodes the flesh.
The blood... erodes the vessels.
The smaller charge is more apt to... erode the gun.
2.
(a) (Geology & Physics Geography) To wear away; as, streams and glaciers erode the land.
(b)
(Geology & Physics Geography) To produce by erosion, or wearing away; as, glaciers erode U-shaped valleys.
3.
to reduce or lessen as if by eroding; as, a politician's base of support is eroded by evidence of corruption; the buying power of the dollar is eroded by inflation. [figurative]