"attrit" meaning in English

See attrit in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /əˈtɹɪt/ Forms: attrits [plural]
Etymology: From Latin attrītus, past participle of atterō. Said by multiple dictionaries to be a back-formation from attrition, but it is not a recent one, though, being centuries old. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|la|attrītus}} Latin attrītus Head templates: {{en-noun}} attrit (plural attrits)
  1. (countable) One who voluntarily or involuntarily leaves a company; a termed employee. Tags: countable Synonyms (a terminated employee): term Derived forms: attritee, attritor
    Sense id: en-attrit-en-noun-TbQFrm7a

Verb

IPA: /əˈtɹɪt/ Forms: attrits [present, singular, third-person], attritting [participle, present], attritted [participle, past], attritted [past]
Etymology: From Latin attrītus, past participle of atterō. Said by multiple dictionaries to be a back-formation from attrition, but it is not a recent one, though, being centuries old. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|la|attrītus}} Latin attrītus Head templates: {{en-verb|++}} attrit (third-person singular simple present attrits, present participle attritting, simple past and past participle attritted)
  1. To wear down through attrition, especially mechanical attrition. Translations (wear down through attrition): desgastar (Portuguese)
    Sense id: en-attrit-en-verb-Xnfbw5NF Disambiguation of 'wear down through attrition': 68 12 13 6
  2. To engage in attrition; to quit or drop out.
    Sense id: en-attrit-en-verb-GDSLnEbh
  3. To be reduced in quantity through attrition.
    Sense id: en-attrit-en-verb-FQjrN8Tr Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Portuguese translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 19 11 13 51 6 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 21 13 13 44 8 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 22 9 9 54 6 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 23 7 7 58 4 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 21 16 16 34 12
  4. (military) To lose, or to kill, troops by attrition due to sustained firepower. Categories (topical): Military
    Sense id: en-attrit-en-verb-Hb2tSpvh Topics: government, military, politics, war
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: attrite Derived forms: attritability, attritable, attritive

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "attritability"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "attritable"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "attritive"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "attrītus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin attrītus",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin attrītus, past participle of atterō. Said by multiple dictionaries to be a back-formation from attrition, but it is not a recent one, though, being centuries old.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "attrits",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "attritting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "attritted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "attritted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "attrit (third-person singular simple present attrits, present participle attritting, simple past and past participle attritted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1858, James Prinsep, Essays on Indian Antiquities, Historic, Numismatic, and Palæographic, page 111:",
          "text": "[…] pebbles of vast size, or blocks of stone, attrited by water to smoothness, conjoined by a cement of mud.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To wear down through attrition, especially mechanical attrition."
      ],
      "id": "en-attrit-en-verb-Xnfbw5NF",
      "links": [
        [
          "wear down",
          "wear down"
        ],
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ],
        [
          "mechanical",
          "mechanical"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "68 12 13 6",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "wear down through attrition",
          "word": "desgastar"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1997, Lisa Scottoline, Legal Tender, →ISBN, page 77:",
          "text": "the relatives who had been helping slipped away as I grew older, attriting for various reasons that all amounted to the same reason.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To engage in attrition; to quit or drop out."
      ],
      "id": "en-attrit-en-verb-GDSLnEbh",
      "links": [
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ],
        [
          "quit",
          "quit"
        ],
        [
          "drop out",
          "drop out"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "19 11 13 51 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "21 13 13 44 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 9 9 54 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 7 7 58 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "21 16 16 34 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2001, Lynne Hansen, “Language Attrition in Contexts of Japanese Bilingualism”, in Studies in Japanese Bilingualism, →ISBN, page 359:",
          "text": "The interference theory of second language loss holds that forgetting is actually interference between the attriting language and the language replacing it.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be reduced in quantity through attrition."
      ],
      "id": "en-attrit-en-verb-FQjrN8Tr",
      "links": [
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Military",
          "orig": "en:Military",
          "parents": [
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2001, John Matsumura, Lightning Over Water: Sharpening America's Light Forces for Rapid Missions, →ISBN, page 124:",
          "text": "The primary objective is to attrit the units sufficiently so that they cannot close with the units in contact.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To lose, or to kill, troops by attrition due to sustained firepower."
      ],
      "id": "en-attrit-en-verb-Hb2tSpvh",
      "links": [
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "troop",
          "troop"
        ],
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ],
        [
          "firepower",
          "firepower"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(military) To lose, or to kill, troops by attrition due to sustained firepower."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "war"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/əˈtɹɪt/"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "attrite"
    }
  ],
  "word": "attrit"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "attrītus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin attrītus",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin attrītus, past participle of atterō. Said by multiple dictionaries to be a back-formation from attrition, but it is not a recent one, though, being centuries old.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "attrits",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "attrit (plural attrits)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "attritee"
        },
        {
          "word": "attritor"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2009, Alan Weiss, Nancy MacKay, The Talent Advantage:",
          "text": "Throughout the early part of the meeting, a human resources manager kept talking about “attrits,\" which we thought was some kind of financial product they were reducing or eliminating. It wasn't until she mentioned \"minimizing severance options\" that we realized she was talking about people.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One who voluntarily or involuntarily leaves a company; a termed employee."
      ],
      "id": "en-attrit-en-noun-TbQFrm7a",
      "links": [
        [
          "term",
          "term"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable) One who voluntarily or involuntarily leaves a company; a termed employee."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "sense": "a terminated employee",
          "word": "term"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/əˈtɹɪt/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "attrit"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms borrowed from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "attritability"
    },
    {
      "word": "attritable"
    },
    {
      "word": "attritive"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "attrītus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin attrītus",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin attrītus, past participle of atterō. Said by multiple dictionaries to be a back-formation from attrition, but it is not a recent one, though, being centuries old.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "attrits",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "attritting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "attritted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "attritted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "attrit (third-person singular simple present attrits, present participle attritting, simple past and past participle attritted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1858, James Prinsep, Essays on Indian Antiquities, Historic, Numismatic, and Palæographic, page 111:",
          "text": "[…] pebbles of vast size, or blocks of stone, attrited by water to smoothness, conjoined by a cement of mud.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To wear down through attrition, especially mechanical attrition."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "wear down",
          "wear down"
        ],
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ],
        [
          "mechanical",
          "mechanical"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1997, Lisa Scottoline, Legal Tender, →ISBN, page 77:",
          "text": "the relatives who had been helping slipped away as I grew older, attriting for various reasons that all amounted to the same reason.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To engage in attrition; to quit or drop out."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ],
        [
          "quit",
          "quit"
        ],
        [
          "drop out",
          "drop out"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2001, Lynne Hansen, “Language Attrition in Contexts of Japanese Bilingualism”, in Studies in Japanese Bilingualism, →ISBN, page 359:",
          "text": "The interference theory of second language loss holds that forgetting is actually interference between the attriting language and the language replacing it.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be reduced in quantity through attrition."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Military"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2001, John Matsumura, Lightning Over Water: Sharpening America's Light Forces for Rapid Missions, →ISBN, page 124:",
          "text": "The primary objective is to attrit the units sufficiently so that they cannot close with the units in contact.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To lose, or to kill, troops by attrition due to sustained firepower."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "troop",
          "troop"
        ],
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ],
        [
          "firepower",
          "firepower"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(military) To lose, or to kill, troops by attrition due to sustained firepower."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "war"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/əˈtɹɪt/"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "attrite"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "wear down through attrition",
      "word": "desgastar"
    }
  ],
  "word": "attrit"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms borrowed from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "attritee"
    },
    {
      "word": "attritor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "attrītus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin attrītus",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin attrītus, past participle of atterō. Said by multiple dictionaries to be a back-formation from attrition, but it is not a recent one, though, being centuries old.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "attrits",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "attrit (plural attrits)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2009, Alan Weiss, Nancy MacKay, The Talent Advantage:",
          "text": "Throughout the early part of the meeting, a human resources manager kept talking about “attrits,\" which we thought was some kind of financial product they were reducing or eliminating. It wasn't until she mentioned \"minimizing severance options\" that we realized she was talking about people.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One who voluntarily or involuntarily leaves a company; a termed employee."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "term",
          "term"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable) One who voluntarily or involuntarily leaves a company; a termed employee."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/əˈtɹɪt/"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "a terminated employee",
      "word": "term"
    }
  ],
  "word": "attrit"
}

Download raw JSONL data for attrit meaning in English (5.3kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-08 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (9a96ef4 and 4ed51a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.