What does abrasion mean?
An abrasion is a scrape: a superficial injury to the skin caused by rubbing against a rough surface, or more broadly, the wearing away of any material through friction. In everyday medical use, abrasions are minor wounds that affect only the outermost layer of skin — the kind sustained in a fall on gravel or a slide across pavement. Beyond first aid, the term appears frequently in geology, where it describes how windblown sand or glacial debris grinds down rock faces, and in materials science, where 'abrasion resistance' measures how well a substance withstands repeated rubbing. Derived from the Latin abradere, meaning 'to scrape off', the word shares its root with 'abrasive' — a term applied both to gritty substances like sandpaper and, figuratively, to harsh personalities. Precise and versatile, abrasion is a useful word for anyone describing surface damage, whether on skin, stone, or steel.
A scraped or grazed area on the skin, or the act and process of wearing away a surface by friction.
"The hiker treated the abrasion on his elbow with antiseptic before continuing up the trail."
In medical contexts, an abrasion refers strictly to a superficial wound involving only the epidermis; deeper wounds are classified as lacerations.
(Geology) The mechanical wearing down of rock or other surfaces by the frictional action of particles carried by wind, water, or ice.
"Wind-driven sand sculpted the canyon walls through centuries of steady abrasion."
The plural is standard and commonly used, especially in medical reports listing multiple scrapes or in technical discussions of wear at several points on a surface.
"The accident report noted multiple abrasions along the driver's forearms."
The word 'abrasion' comes from the Latin abradere — literally 'to scrape off' — the same root that gives us 'abrasive', so calling someone an abrasive personality is, etymologically speaking, comparing them to sandpaper.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abrasion
Abrasion derives from the Latin verb abradere, formed from ab- ('off, away') plus radere ('to scrape'), which entered English via the past participle abrasus. The noun appeared in English in the early 17th century, initially in general senses of scraping or wearing away before acquiring its specific medical meaning. It shares its root with related words including abrade, abrasive, erode (from the related Latin rodere, 'to gnaw'), and corrode.
Related word forms
How abrasion is actually used
Abrasion is a formal-to-neutral term common in medical, geological, and engineering contexts. In medicine it denotes a superficial wound; in geology and materials science it describes mechanical wear. It carries no strong emotional connotation but can sound clinical when applied to injuries.
Easily confused with abrasion
Erosion is the gradual wearing away of material typically by natural agents such as water, wind, or ice, whereas abrasion specifically involves scraping or rubbing by friction against another surface.
A laceration is a deep, irregular tear in the flesh, while an abrasion is a shallow scrape affecting only the surface layers of skin.