detritivore

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detritivore

/dɛˈtɹaɪtɪvɔː/ UK
/-ˈtɹɪ-/ UK
/dəˈtɹaɪtəvɔɹ/ US
/-ˈtɹɪ-/ US
/-ɾə-/ US

Where it comes from

From German Detritivore, from Latin dētrītus (“the act of rubbing away”) (from dēterō (“to rub away, to rub off, to wear out”), from dē- (“away; down”) + terō (“to rub; to wear away, to wear out”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, to rub by twisting; to twist, to turn”)) + Latin vorāre (from vorō (“to devour, to eat greedily; to swallow up”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerh₃- (“to devour”)). Analyzable as detritus + -i- + -vore.

noun detritivores

An organism that feeds on detritus. Termites are herbivores and detritivores variously involved in the comminution and decomposition of vegetable matter, through most of the warm temperate and tropical zones.
Similar: detritophage, detrivore, saprophage

Translations

Every language

noun organism that feeds on detritus

Español	detritívoro, detritívora
Français	détritivore
Deutsch	Detritivore, Detritusfresser
Italiano	detritivoro
Русский	детритофа́г detritofág
Tiếng Việt	ăn mùn bã

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MLA

"detritivore." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/detritivore. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

detritivore. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/detritivore

Chicago

"detritivore." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/detritivore.

BibTeX

@misc{detritivore_2026,
  title = {detritivore},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/detritivore},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}