释义 |
attrit, v. Brit. |əˈtrɪt|, |əˈtrʌɪt|, U.S. |əˈtrɪt|, |əˈtraɪt| Present participle attriting, attritting; past tense and past participle attrited, attritted Forms: α. 17– attrite; β. 19– attrit [‹ classical Latin attrīt-, past participial stem of atterere (see attrite adj.), after attrite adj., attrited adj. and (in β forms) attrition n.] 1. trans. To rub, abrade, or grind; to wear down with friction. Now rare.
1726J. Laurence New Syst. Agric. 14 An empty glass tube attrited by Woollen Cloath emits Light. 1834W. H. Thomas Surg. & Descriptive Anat. 201 If there be a cough, giving pain by attriting the fractured ends of the bone together, use opiate mixtures and other remedies to counteract irritation. 1895Proc. Royal Soc. 59 30 Along the horizontal lines in the table are shown the amounts attrited by rubbing with a cylinder of the substance given. 1964Geografiska Annaler 46 149/2 If the rock is of a kind which is fairly easily attrited, the pieces must be so large that they are little moved. 2001C. W. Williford & R. M. Bricka in I. K. Iskander Environmental Restoration Metals-contaminated Soils vii. 149 Attriting a heavy metal-contaminated soil can..separate the soil particle from the metal surface. 2. trans. Mil. (chiefly U.S.). To weaken or wear down by means of an unrelenting military offensive; to reduce in size, eliminate, esp. slowly and steadily. Also in extended use. Cf. attrition n. 2b.
1917Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 15 June 6/4 The enemy's moral and mental as well as his material resources must be weakened and attrited. 1956W. A. Heflin USAF Dict. 60/1 Attrite,..to reduce in size by attrition. 1969Atlantic Monthly Jan. 40/1 Wear the Cong down, and he'll quit... Attrit him. 1987S. Vittoz New Deal Labor Policy ii. 43 The number of regular shops declined only marginally..and..contract shops were attrited at a rate of almost 17 percent. 1991in B. MacArthur Despatches from Gulf War 237 The front lines had been attritted down to a point where all of these [Iraqi] units were at 50 per cent or below. 20049/11 Comm. Rep. (National Comm. Terrorist Attacks upon U.S.) vi. 182 More money should go to the CIA to accelerate its efforts to ‘seriously attrit’ al Qaeda. |