From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdetritusde‧tri‧tus /dɪˈtraɪtəs/ noun [uncountable] formal HEGRUBBISH/WASTEpieces of waste that remain after something has been broken up or used
Examples from the Corpus
detritus• Slowly, patiently, silently, over a detritus of cans, wrappers, boxes, papers.• Unluckily, though, the boyos were not interested in such cheap detritus.• It prefers a fair amount of nutritious detritus.• In the normal aquarium there is plenty of detritus, usually more than necessary for the plants.• Therefore unwashed river sand and leaf-mould mixture, or the usual mixture of clay with some organic detritus is suitable.• Plant detritus if available is sufficient, but if necessary it can also be nourished by liquid fertiliser.• Rusted chains hung from roof girders; the floor was concrete, fouled by the windswept detritus of years of abandonment.Origin detritus (1700-1800) Latin past participle of deterere “to rub away” 