erase

Erase is a verb meaning to remove, obliterate, or cause to disappear. It is used for removing marks from a surface, deleting digital information, or cancelling an action or record. A related noun is erasure, the act or result of erasing, or the mark left behind.

In writing and art, erasing typically involves removing pencil marks; erasers are made from rubber, vinyl, or other materials. Ink or toner are harder to remove, often requiring correction fluids or rewriting. Kneaded erasers can be shaped to lift graphite or charcoal without smearing.

In computing and data storage, to erase means to delete or overwrite data so it cannot be easily recovered. Simple deletion may leave data accessible; secure erasure uses overwriting, encryption, or degaussing to reduce recoverability. Various standards exist, such as DoD sanitization procedures and industry best practices for solid-state drives.

In media production, erasure can refer to removing frames or audio segments. In memory or policy contexts, erasure can be conceptual, such as forgetting information; in privacy law, the right to erasure (or deletion) allows individuals to request removal of personal data, subject to legal limits.

Erasure is sometimes imperfect, leaving faint marks, or affecting underlying substrates. In archival and historical work, erasing inscriptions or palimpsests may alter or destroy information. The term is also used in mathematics and linguistics to describe removal or cancellation operations.