Epode

n. [ L. epodos, Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_;, adj., singing to, sung or said after, fr. &unr_; to sing to; 'epi` upon, to + &unr_; to sing: cf. F. épode. See Ode. ] (Poet.) (a) The after song; the part of a lyric ode which follows the strophe and antistrophe, -- the ancient ode being divided into strophe, antistrophe, and epode. (b) A species of lyric poem, invented by Archilochus, in which a longer verse is followed by a shorter one; as, the Epodes of Horace. It does not include the elegiac distich. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Eroded; p. pr. & vb. n. Eroding. ] [ L. erodere, erosum; e out + rodere to gnaw. See Rodent. ] 1. To eat into or away; to corrode; as, canker erodes the flesh. “The blood . . . erodes the vessels.” Wiseman. [ 1913 Webster ]

The smaller charge is more apt to . . . erode the gun. Am. Cyc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Geol. & Phys. Geog.) (a) To wear away; as, streams and glaciers erode the land. (b) To produce by erosion, or wearing away; as, glaciers erode U-shaped valleys. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

3. to reduce or lessen as if by eroding; as, a politician's base of support is eroded by evidence of corruption; the buying power of the dollar is eroded by inflation. [ fig. ] [ PJC ]