# detritus

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɪˈtɹaɪ.təs/ · frequency rank #40,653

## Definitions
1. Pieces of rock broken off by ice, glacier, or erosion.
2. Organic waste material from decomposing dead plants or animals.
3. Any debris or fragments of disintegrated material.
4. Rock consisting of accumulated debris from decayed rocks, like sand, that often is joined by cement.

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

## Common misspellings (12)
`ddetritus`, `dertitus`, `detirtus`, `detritsu`, `detrittus`, `detrituss`, `detriuts`, `detrritus`, `detrtius`, `dettritus`, `dteritus`, `edtritus`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/detritus