debris
/dəˈbriː/
noun
Origin
Old French
debriser — to break apart
Overview
Meaning Now
- Scattered fragments of something that has been broken, destroyed, or discarded.
- Accumulated loose rock or earthy material.
Literal older meaning
broken bits
Language path
Old French → Middle French → English
Earliest form
debris
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term entered English during a period of heavy linguistic borrowing from French, particularly regarding military, architectural, and geological contexts. It retains its French pronunciation, often represented as 'de-bree'.
Evolution
- Old French (12th century)
debriser
“to smash or break to pieces”
Composed of 'des-' (reversal/intensive) and 'briser' (to break).
- Middle French (15th century)
debris
“fragments, remains”
Noun form derived from the verb.
- English (17th century)
debris
“scattered remains”
Adopted into English from French.
Connections
Word parts
de-
prefix
prefix indicating separation or reversal
bris
root
break
Related across languages
French
débris
rubble, wreckage
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Related to debris
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.