| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,753,339,596 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
detritus |
Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
detritus [dɪˈtraɪtəs] n 1. (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) a loose mass of stones, silt, etc., worn away from rocks 2. an accumulation of disintegrated material or debris 3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) the organic debris formed from the decay of organisms [from French détritus, from Latin dētrītus a rubbing away; see detriment] detrital adj
Detritus an accumulation of debris; any waste or disintegrated material. See also debris. Examples: detritus of languages, 1851; of ruins, 1866; of loose stones, 1851; loose detritus of thought, 1849.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
detritus Translations How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in classic literature | |
|---|---|---|
These plains are often of a desolate sterility; mere sandy wastes, formed of the detritus of the granite heights, destitute of trees and herbage, scorched by the ardent and reflected rays of the summer's sun, and in winter swept by chilling blasts from the snow-clad mountains. The foundation of their airy castles lay already before them in the strip of rich alluvium on the river bank, where the North Fork, sharply curving round the base of Devil's Spur, had for centuries swept the detritus of gulch and canyon. In central Chile I was astonished at the structure of a vast mound of detritus, about 800 feet in height, crossing a valley of the Andes; and this I now feel convinced was a gigantic moraine, left far below any existing glacier. |
| Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|