Origin: Latin suffix -ive
Abrasive has 5 different meanings across 2 categories:
a substance that abrades or wears down
"The mechanic recommended switching to a finer abrasive paste to prevent scratching the delicate chrome finish on his car bumper."
A substance or material such as sandpaper, pumice, or emery, used for cleaning, smoothing, or polishing.
"She carefully rubbed the rough spot on the wooden table with a piece of abrasive to smooth out the scratch."
Producing abrasion; rough enough to wear away the outer surface.
"The sandpaper was so abrasive that it stripped the paint off the door handle in just a few seconds."
The word comes from Medieval Latin abrāsīvus, which originally meant "scraping off." It is derived from the verb meaning to scrape or rub away.