擦り減る

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 擦り減る is read as すりへる and is an intransitive verb meaning for a surface or thickness to wear down through repeated friction.
• Basic usage: Shoe soles wearing down after much walking appear in 靴底が擦り減る, while a stairway stone wearing down under many people’s steps appears in 階段の石が擦り減る.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The worn object takes が
  • The sole, stone, or other item undergoing wear is the subject in the pattern が擦り減る.
• Difference from 擦り減らす
  • This verb describes an object becoming worn, while the comparison verb is transitive and describes wearing something down through friction.