1807: 'eating away': fret, ort, and etch Nov 25, 2019

Though 'eating' may evoke mostly positive images, it is also the base for other words connoting absence or devouring. 'Fret' for instance, has a historical root derived from 'fra-' added to the root for 'to eat', i.e. "to eat away; eat up"; of course the phrase "eat away" also involves 'eat' and is generally negative too. Likewise, 'ort', which is a literary way to say 'food-scraps; garbage', is from a compound involving 'out'. The 'out-' prefix became 'or-' here, as it did in 'ordeal'. Even the word 'etch' comes from a Dutch word with a root meaning 'cause to eat away'.
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