Corrode \Cor*rode"\ (k?r-r?d") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Corroded; p. pr. & vb. n. Corroding.]

[L. corrodere, -rosum; cor + rodere to gnaw: cf. F. corroder. See Rodent.]

1. To eat away by degrees; to wear away or diminish by gradually separating or destroying small particles of, as by action of a strong acid or a caustic alkali.

Aqua fortis corroding copper . . . is wont to reduce it to a green-blue solution. --Boyle.

2. To consume; to wear away; to prey upon; to impair.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)