05-12-2014 -Friday WORD OF THE DAY: Attrition - TopicsExpress



          

05-12-2014 -Friday WORD OF THE DAY: Attrition (Noun) Pronunciation: \ə-ˈtri-shən, a-\ Syllabification: at-tri-tion MEANING: 1. A reduction in the number of employees or participants that occurs when people leave because they resign, retire, etc., and are not replaced 2. The act or process of weakening and gradually defeating an enemy through constant attacks and continued pressure over a long period of time SYNONYMS: 1. Corrosion 2. Erosion 3. Undermining 4. Waste ANTONYMS: 1. Build up Origin of ATTRITION Latin attrition-, attritio, from atterere to rub against, fromad- + terere to rub — more at THROW First Known Use: 14th century EXPLANATION: Attrition is a gradual process of wearing down, weakening, or destroying something. When a company wants to reduce its payroll without firing anyone, it will sometimes do so through attrition; that is, by waiting for people to retire or quit without hiring anyone new to replace them. In a more general sense, the word means break down, wear out, or reduce in numbers. A triple overtime basketball game, with many players fouling out, is a war of attrition. When you see the word attrition, think Gradually chipping away. EXAMPLES: 1. Attrition is high among social workers because of the difficult work and poor pay. 2. He took the machinery out of operation since attrition had led to the main mechanisms breaking
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 16:31:39 +0000

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