detritus
n. uncountablen. the remains of dead plants and animals that have broken down into small pieces. In a more general way, it can also mean the messy, useless things left over from a finished project or event.
n. the organic remains of plants and animals that have been broken down into smaller particles. In a broader, figurative sense, it refers to the discarded or useless remnants of a process or system.
The river carries away the detritus of the forest.
After the festival ended, the streets were covered in the detritus of balloons, confetti, and empty bottles.
The geologist examined the detritus of the ancient mountain range, noting how the mineral composition had changed as the rock was worn down by centuries of erosion.
Learned borrowing from Latin dētrītus (“(that which is) rubbed away”), from dēterō (“rub away”).