耗
hào · HSK 7
to waste
🔋 耗 = 耒 plough + 毛 hair-thin: the field's yield worn down till resources run out
耗 pairs the plough radical 耒 with 毛 (fur, hair-thin), pointing to a harvest ground down to almost nothing. It shows up in 耗电 (use up power) and 消耗 (consume), all about something being drained or spent away.
耗 — 耒 plow + 毛 hair/fur
Originally written with 耒 (plow) as the semantic component and 毛 (hair) as the phonetic, suggesting the wearing down or consumption of farming tools through use. The meaning extended from depleting resources to the broader senses of 'consume,' 'waste,' and 'news/tidings' (as in 噩耗).