损耗 (sǔn hào) is a noun meaning 'consumption' or 'wear and tear' — referring to the gradual loss, reduction, or deterioration of something useful, such as energy, resources, materials, or bodily functions. The first character 损 means 'to damage' or 'to impair', while 耗 means 'to consume' or 'to deplete'. Together, they emphasize a passive, often inevitable decline due to use, time, or external factors — not sudden destruction, but slow, cumulative loss.

This term is commonly used in technical, medical, and industrial contexts: for example, describing energy loss in machinery, nutrient depletion in the body, or tissue degradation during illness or aging. It carries a neutral-to-formal tone and rarely appears in casual speech. Unlike more general words like 损失 (loss), 损耗 implies an ongoing, quantitative reduction rather than a one-time event.