detritus

C1 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /dɪˈtɹaɪ.təs/ See IPA manual

Freq #52232

Meanings

1

noun
Scattered waste, rubbish, or leftover fragments.

After the festival, the field was covered in detritus.
2

noun
Decaying organic matter from dead plants and animals.

Tiny creatures feed on the detritus on the forest floor.
3

noun
Loose rock fragments worn away from larger rocks.

Glacial detritus had piled up at the foot of the mountain.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · scattered waste, rubbish,... junk

Word family

Derived forms biodetritusdetritaldetriticdetriticolousdetritivoredetritivorousdetritophagedetrituspheredetrivoremicrodetritusphytodetrituszoodetritus

Related forms detriment detrimental

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin dētrītus (“(that which is) rubbed away”), from dēterō (“rub away”).

dētrītus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# detritus

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈtɹaɪ.təs/
**Frequency rank:** 52232

## Meanings
1. Scattered waste, rubbish, or leftover fragments.
2. Decaying organic matter from dead plants and animals.
3. Loose rock fragments worn away from larger rocks.

## Examples
- After the festival, the field was covered in detritus.
- Tiny creatures feed on the detritus on the forest floor.
- Glacial detritus had piled up at the foot of the mountain.

## Derived Forms
- biodetritus
- detrital
- detritic
- detriticolous
- detritivore
- detritivorous
- detritophage
- detritusphere
- detrivore
- microdetritus
- phytodetritus
- zoodetritus

## Related Forms
- detriment
- detrimental

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dētrītus

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin dētrītus (“(that which is) rubbed away”), from dēterō (“rub away”).

## AI Etymology
Detritus is a learned borrowing from Latin dētrītus (“(that which is) rubbed away”), from dēterō (“rub away”). In present-day use, it can mean scattered waste, rubbish, or leftover fragments, or decaying organic matter from dead plants and animals. Related forms include detriment, detrimental. Derived formations include biodetritus, detrital, detritic, detriticolous, detritivore.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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