The word 橡皮擦 is formed by combining 橡皮, meaning 'rubber,' and 擦, meaning 'to erase.' 橡皮 itself consists of 橡, which refers to the rubber tree, and 皮, meaning 'skin' or 'material,' thus denoting rubber as a substance. Adding 擦 specifies the function, resulting in a compound word that means 'rubber eraser.'