debris

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdɛbɹi/, /ˈdeɪbɹi/ (UK); /dəˈbɹiː/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French débris (“remains, waste”),^[2][3][4][5] from obsolete débriser “to break to pieces”,^[4][5][3] from Old French debrisier,^[2][3][4] from de- and brisier “to break”,^[2][3][4][5] from Late Latin brisāre,^[4][5] probably of Celtic origin,^[2][3][4] compare Old Irish brisid (“breaks”).^[3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The remains of anything broken down or destroyed; rubbish from destructive operations (1708).^[6][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

In English the word was first used figuratively, then of ruins and rubble.^[6] In geology it was applied to any accumulation of loose rock fragments,^[6][2][3] and in biology to the fragmented remains of dead or damaged cells.^[2] It can also mean carelessly discarded litter.^[2][3][1]

Timeline

• 1708 – remains of something destroyed; rubbish.^[6][3][4]
• 1871 – (mining) tailings.^[6]
• 1890 – debris cone.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The scattered remains of something broken or destroyed; rubble or wreckage.
2. Discarded refuse; litter.
3. (geology) An accumulation of rock fragments.
4. (biology) The fragmented remains of dead or damaged cells or tissue.

Related words

• bruise

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press