detritus
[dih-trahy-tuh s]
- rock in small particles or other material worn or broken away from a mass, as by the action of water or glacial ice.
- any disintegrated material; debris.
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Origin of detritus
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for detrital
Historical Examples
It does not go to increase the great body of detrital deposits.
The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific EssaysJ. (John) Joly
The margin of this new lake, acting upon the detrital matter, would form the second road.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2John Tyndall
The slight elevations of sandy "geest" or detrital spurs were limited in area and in time outgrown.
Influences of Geographic EnvironmentEllen Churchill Semple
The sides also became less vertical, and there was an accumulation of detrital fragments about their bases.
A Journey in Other WorldsJohn Jacob Astor
Trap′-tū′fa, -tuff, a variety of tufa consisting of the detrital matter of trap-rock.
detritus
- a loose mass of stones, silt, etc, worn away from rocks
- an accumulation of disintegrated material or debris
- the organic debris formed from the decay of organisms
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Word Origin
C18: from French détritus, from Latin dētrītus a rubbing away; see detriment
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for detrital
detritus
n.
1795, "process of erosion," from Latin detritus "a wearing away," from detri-, stem of detere "wear away" (see detriment). Geological sense of "matter produced by erosion" is 1802, probably from French detritus; incorrect, in any case.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
detritus
(dĭ-trī′təs)- Loose matter resulting from the wearing away or disintegration of tissue or other material.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
detritus
[dĭ-trī′təs]
- Loose fragments, such as sand or gravel, that have been worn away from rock.
- Matter produced by the decay or disintegration of an organic substance.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.