detritus
Use Detritus in a sentence
təs 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:
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
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
Related forms
de·tri·tal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To detritus
Collins
World English Dictionary
detritus (dɪˈtraɪtəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a loose mass of stones, silt, etc, worn away from rocks |
| 2. | an accumulation of disintegrated material or debris |
| 3. | the organic debris formed from the decay of organisms |
| [C18: from French détritus, from Latin dētrītus a rubbing away; see | |
| de'trital | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Detritus
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
detritus
1795, "process of erosion," from L. detritus "a wearing away," from detri-, stem of detere "wear away" (see detriment). Geological sense of "matter produced by erosion" is 1802, probably from Fr. detritus; incorrect, in any case.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
detritus de·tri·tus (dĭ-trī'təs)
n. pl. detritus
Loose matter resulting from the wearing away or disintegration of a tissue or substance.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
detritus (dĭ-trī'təs) Pronunciation Key
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
So, it pays to reboot a computer at least once every couple of days, if only to flush the detritus from its innards.
Among this urban detritus, something else is moving.
The floors of this house are strewn with the detritus of lives let go, ankle-deep with abandoned possessions.
Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae, microbes, and detritus that creates a thick mat on the ground of the prairies.
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