(1) A wearing away or a state of being worn away, as by friction or pressure. Cf.: corrosion (2) A shallow ulcer; in the stomach and intestine, an ulcer limited to the mucosa, with no penetration of the muscularis mucosa. (3) Chemically induced tooth loss, occurring mainly through acid dissolution. When the cause is unknown, it is referred to as idiopathic erosion. SYN: odontolysis. [L. erosio, fr. erodo, to gnaw away]
