attrition
[əˈtɹɪʃən]noun
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Wearing or grinding down by friction.
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The gradual reduction in a tangible or intangible resource due to causes that are passive and do not involve productive use of the resource.
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(human resources) A gradual, natural reduction in membership or personnel, as through retirement, resignation, or death.
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The loss of participants during an experiment.
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Imperfect contrition or remorse.
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The wearing of teeth due to their grinding.
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The loss of a first or second language or a portion of that language.
verb
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To grind or wear down through friction.
"attritioned teeth; attritioned rock"
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To reduce the number of (jobs or workers) by not hiring new employees to fill positions that become vacant (often with out).
"As a result of the new policy, people were being attritioned out."
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To undergo a reduction in number.
"The cohort of one hundred students had attritioned to sixty by the end of secondary school."