the.com/war of attrition
Victory goes not to the strongest, but to whoever runs out of stuff last.
means A prolonged conflict won by gradually wearing down the opponent's resources, manpower, or will rather than by a single decisive blow.
from From Latin 'attritio' meaning 'a rubbing against,' from 'atterere' — ad- (against) plus terere (to rub, wear down), the same root that gives us 'trite.' Originally used in theology for the lesser, friction-born sorrow for sin (as opposed to contrition's deeper remorse), the word migrated into warfare by the early 20th century, especially around World War I, to describe fighting that literally rubs an enemy down to nothing through exhaustion and attrition losses rather than a clean knockout.
- origin
- from Latin attritio, meaning to wear down by rubbing
- classic example
- WWI trench warfare, Verdun alone killed 700,000
- game theory
- modeled as a contest where quitting costs more than winning
- modern use
- applies to price wars, lawsuits, even breakups