Main Entry:

de·tri·tus

Pronunciation:

\di-ˈtrī-təs\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural de·tri·tus \-ˈtrī-təs, -ˈtrī-ˌtüs\

Etymology:

French détritus, from Latin detritus, past participle of deterere

Date:

1802

1: loose material (as rock fragments or organic particles) that results directly from disintegration2 a: a product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away : debris b: miscellaneous remnants : odds and ends <sifting through the detritus of his childhood — Michael Tomasky>

— de·tri·tal \-ˈtrī-t^əl\ adjective