What does “abrade” mean? (With a quiz question!)

What does “abrade” mean?

Part of Speech: verb

Pronunciations: IPA: /ə.ˈbreɪd/ Glossary-style: [uh-BRAYD]

Definition: wear off or wear down by rubbing or scraping. scrape off.

Example: Socks wear out with use because your feet and the insoles of your shoes abrade the cloth of the socks.

Because the rear bicycle wheel was out of true, the bicycle ’s frame ——- the surface of the tire, causing it irreparable ——-.

(A) scraped . . satisfaction
(B) stupefied . . deflation
(C) rubbed against . . damage
(D) polished . . tolerance
(E) abraded . . injustice

Answer:

2 comments

Sugeng Purwanto says:

2010-12-22 at 10:33 pm

Is it correct if I say ‘My love to you has abraded due to infrequent assignations?’

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1. Erin says:
  
  2010-12-29 at 12:33 pm
  
  I would have to say no; your sentenced uses ‘abraded’ intransitively when it should be used transitively. ‘abraded’ also has the connotation of being worn down as a result of friction, not a simple decrease or decline as the result of decay or attrition.
  
  The other part (about infrequent assignations) could work. But be careful, as ‘assignation’ often has a salacious connotation. :)