the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > [noun] > loss of material > eating away (6)
The action of gnaw, v., in various senses.
A slow gnawing or eating away; erosion, corrosion; also, the process of decaying or wasting.
A gnawing or wearing away, erosion. Now rare. Also concrete †a canker, a fretting sore; a decayed spot (in the wood of a bow or arrow, in a hair).