Detritus

Pronunciation: /dɪˈtraɪtəs/

Definitions of detritus

noun disintegrated or eroded matter

Example Sentences

A1 The beach was covered in detritus like shells and seaweed.

A2 The janitor cleaned up the detritus left behind by the students in the classroom.

B1 The archaeologists sifted through the detritus to find artifacts from ancient civilizations.

B2 The forest floor was littered with detritus from fallen leaves and branches.

C1 The scientist studied the detritus at the bottom of the ocean to understand marine ecosystems.

C2 The artist created a sculpture using detritus collected from a polluted river.

Examples of detritus in a Sentence

formal The detritus found at the archaeological site provided valuable insights into the daily lives of ancient civilizations.

informal I had to clean up all the detritus from last night's party before my parents got home.

slang The beach was covered in detritus after the music festival, it was a total mess.

figurative His mind was cluttered with detritus of past regrets, making it hard for him to focus on the present.

Grammatical Forms of detritus

• plural: detrituses
• comparative: more detritus
• superlative: most detritus
• present tense: detritus
• future tense: will detritus
• perfect tense: have detritused
• continuous tense: is detritusing
• singular: detritus
• positive degree: detritus
• infinitive: to detritus
• gerund: detritusing
• participle: detritused

Origin and Evolution of detritus

First Known Use: 1795 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: Detritus comes from the Latin word 'dētrītus', which means 'worn away'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in geology to refer to the matter produced by the wearing away of rocks, detritus has evolved to also describe any disintegrated material or debris.