Detritus

Quick meaning: Detritus is a noun meaning (countable, chiefly geology) Pieces of rock broken off by ice, glacier, or erosion.

Meaning

(countable, chiefly geology) Pieces of rock broken off by ice, glacier, or erosion.

More Meanings

1. (biology, ecology) Organic waste material from decomposing dead plants or animals.
2. (by extension) Any debris or fragments of disintegrated material.
3. Rock consisting of accumulated debris from decayed rocks, like sand, that often is joined by cement.

Example Sentences

But of course: no clutter. No newspapers, no renegade scraps of domestic detritus, no rubber bands, paper clips, coupons, pens or pencils, notebooks, magazines. No knives. Where were the knives?

The cutting head removes any chips out of the railhead and restores the required surface shape. The trains also clear up their own detritus as they travel. Neither milling chips nor grinding dust remain on the track.

Woody detritus is an important component of forested ecosystems. It can reduce erosion and affects soil development, stores nutrients and water, provides a major source of energy and nutrients, and serves as a seedbed for plants and as a major habitat for decomposers and hetereotrophs.

Word Forms

• detrita

Synonyms for detritus

Depending on context, synonyms include debris, junk, rubble, dust.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include dust, rubble, debris, junk, sewage, litter.

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