detritus

[ dih-trahy-tuhs ]
See synonyms for detritus on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. rock in small particles or other material worn or broken away from a mass, as by the action of water or glacial ice.

  2. any disintegrated material; debris.

Origin of detritus

1
1785–95; <French détritus<Latin: a rubbing away, equivalent to dētrī-, variant stem of dēterere to wear down, rub off (de-de- + terere to rub) + -tus suffix of v. action

Other words from detritus

  • de·tri·tal, adjective

Words Nearby detritus

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How to use detritus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for detritus

detritus

/ (dɪˈtraɪtəs) /


noun
  1. a loose mass of stones, silt, etc, worn away from rocks

  2. an accumulation of disintegrated material or debris

  1. the organic debris formed from the decay of organisms

Origin of detritus

1
C18: from French détritus, from Latin dētrītus a rubbing away; see detriment

Derived forms of detritus

  • detrital, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for detritus

detritus

[ dĭ-trītəs ]


  1. Loose fragments, such as sand or gravel, that have been worn away from rock.

  2. Matter produced by the decay or disintegration of an organic substance.

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