rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: ab-
Latin

ab-

away, off, from

Forms

  • ab-
  • abs- — Expanded Latin form, especially before t.
  • a- — Shortened in some Latin compounds.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *apo, ‘away; off.’

Note

The Greek prefix apo- is a relative from the same older source, not a borrowing from Latin.

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A rough pad rubs against a painted wooden edge, wearing away the surface and leaving fine particles; mechanical abrasion, no injury required.
verb

abrade

uh-BRAYD/əˈbreɪd/

To wear away or roughen a surface by rubbing.

Etymology
abLatinaway, off, from
+radeLatinto scrape, shave

The pieces mean scraping something off, not merely rubbing against it. That removal of surface material remains central to abrading: friction wears the material away.

Full entry

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