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 detritus
Contemporary Examples
Perhaps Pappy fans are so insatiable that they even want the detritus of their favorite tot.
Her fantastical accumulations of detritus and throwaway goods can seem to pack more whimsy than wallop.
And then she came up with the idea of asking him to fiddle with his collection of detritus.
The artist is drinking beer, smoking and the detritus is building up around him.
Amidst the detritus of old amplifiers, beaten up electric guitars and drum kits was a tatty white plastic bag.
Historical Examples
There is detritus enough in Glen Spean, but not where it is wanted.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2John Tyndall
By some unknown convulsion, this detritus had been heaped up.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2John Tyndall
Death is only real for all the detritus of the world, for all the sorrow, for all the injustice, for all the grief.
The OctopusFrank Norris
The mouth of the Dranse, hard by, is a dreary collection of detritus.
LausanneFrancis Henry Gribble
The road was bad, for the whole country was full of detritus.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 1 (of 2)Sven Hedin
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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for 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.