attrition
noun

- the process of reducing something's strength or effectiveness through sustained attack or pressure

The Oxford English Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The word "attrition" has a fascinating etymology that traces back through several languages:

From Latin attritio meaning "to rub against" or "to wear away”, comprising ad- (to, toward) + terere (to rub, wear down). The verb form: atterere means "to rub against" or "to wear away”.

It first appeared in Medieval Latin in the 12th-13th centuries in theological contexts referring to an imperfect repentance for sin (sorrow motivated by fear of punishment rather than love of God).

In the 15th century, the meaning shifted to "wearing away" by friction or rubbing,… and by the 20th century to a military meaning,... the gradual reduction of enemy forces through sustained attack.

Nowadays "attrition" most commonly refers to the gradual reduction of a workforce through resignations, retirements, and natural turnover, or in military contexts as a strategy of wearing down opponents through continuous pressure rather than decisive battles.

BTW, the Latin root terere also gave us “trite” (worn out, hackneyed), "detritus" (worn-away particles), and "contrite" (worn down by remorse).

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SYNONYMS



abatement, abrading, abrasion, attenuation, attriting, ATTRITION, battering, beating, biting, chafing, consumption, contraction, corroding, corrosion, curtailment, debilitation, decay, decline, depletion, depreciation, detrition, diminishing, diminution, disintegration, downsizing, dwindling, erosion, exhaustion, extenuation, fraying, gnawing, grinding, impoverishment, lessening, loss, reduction, rubbing, rubbing-down, sanding, sapping, scouring, scraping, scratching, shaving, shrinkage, thinning, tiring, undermining, wasting, weakening, wearing, wearing-down, wear out, weathering, withering 

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“To reduce staff numbers, some companies just wait for natural ATTRITION, and don’t rehire.”

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