trit-

(Latin: to rub; to thresh, to grind; to wear away; from tritus, past participle of terere, "to rub")

Don't confuse this trit- with another trit- which means "third".

phytodetritus (s) (noun), phytodetrita (pl)
Organic waste material produced by the disintegration and decomposition of vegetable organisms: Mildred had a pile of decomposing phytodetrita which consisted of dead weeds and grass which she had dug up from her garden space so she could start cultivating some vegetables and strawberries.
tribulation (s) (noun), tribulations (pl)
1. Something that causes great difficulty, affliction, or distress; such as, an ordeal: Samuel Johnson has experienced the trials and tribulations of a struggling lexicographer.
2. An experience that tests one's endurance, patience, or religious faith: The illness of Donna's son has been a cause of great tribulation for her and her husband.
3. Etymology: from Old French tribulacion (12th century), from Late Latin tribulationem, tribulatio, "distress, trouble, affliction"; from tribulatus, tribulare, "to oppress, afflict"; a figurative use by Christian writers of Latin tribulare "to press"; also possibly, "to thresh out grain;" from tribulum "threshing sledge", from stem of terere, "to rub" + -bulum, a suffix forming names of tools.

Originally tribulation came from Greek; then through Latin, "to press; affliction"; and by extension, "distress, great trial", or "affliction".

The Roman tribulum was a sledge consisting of a wooden block studded with sharp pieces of flint or iron teeth. It was used to bring force and pressure against wheat in grinding out grain.

The machine suggested the way trouble grinds people down and oppresses them, tribulations becoming another word for troubles and afflictions. The word is first recorded in English in 1330.

Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson;
New York: Facts On File, Inc., 1997; p. 680.

The Romans ground out their corn (grain) with a heavy roller, mentioned in Vergil’s Georgics among agricultural instruments: the tribulum, a diminutive noun, from tritere, trit-, "to rub", from Greek tribein, "to rub".

"Being ground under and pressed out" made an excellent metaphor to express the trials and tribulations of the early Christians.

—From A Dictionary of Word Origins by Joseph T. Shipley,
The Philosophical Library, New York, 1945.
Distress or suffering because of oppression or being deprived of some activity.
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Great distress and suffering or afflictions.
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trite (adjective), more trite, most trite
1. A reference to something that is not interesting or effective because it is used too often and is no longer fresh or original: The continuous trite announcements on TV about the famous person's trial became uninteresting and boring.
2. Worn out by abrading and extensive usage by vehicles: The local road was so frequently used by so many cars, trucks, etc. that it became the most trite way to travel in that area.
Worn out by over useage; stale.
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tritely (adverb), more tritely, most tritely
1. In a common manner: Dr. Robson tritely made reference to the fact that the vicar in the church was getting bald.
2. A reference to being well worn; worn out by rubbing; frayed: Helen observed that the rug in the hall was looking tritely and would need to be replaced soon.
tritor (s) (noun), tritors (pl)
The grinding part or surface of teeth: Carol visited the dentist who carefully cleaned the tritors in her mouth.
triturable (adjective), more triturable, most triturable
Relating to something that can be rasped, crushed, or ground into little pieces: During the TV cooking program, the professional cook demonstrated how hard cone sugar could be a very triturable ingredient to use in cakes and cookies.
triturate (verb), triturates; triturated; triturating
To rub, crush, grind, or pound into fine particles or a powder; to pulverize: The large industrial machine in the construction yard was triturating stones and gravel into fine sand.
trituration (s) (noun), triturations (pl)
1. The act of reducing to a fine powder by grinding, grating, bruising, etc.: The assistant cook was assigned the task of the trituration of spices for the fine food that was being prepared.
2. A condition of having been ground or rubbed into a fine powder: The chef used a stone mortar and pestle to create a trituration of fine herbs for the new recipe.
3. A pharmacologic medicinal mixture of powdered drugs prepared pharmaceutically: The druggist, Mr. Johnson, prepared a trituration which she instructed the patient to apply to the wound on her leg three times every day.
4. The mixing of an amalgam, usually of silver and mercury, for use in filling cavities in teeth: Dr. Jackson, the dentist, promised the trituration which she had compounded would not hurt the enamel on the adjacent teeth.
uncontrite (adjective) (not comparable)
Not penitent, not regretful, and not feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses: Simon walked away from the court house with an uncontrite expression on his face, boldly declaring that he had no regrets for the minor illegal parking that he had done.
Via trita est tutissima. (Latin proverb)
Translation: "The beaten path is the safest path."
Via trita, via tuta. (Latin proverb)
Translation: "The beaten path, the safe path."
zoodetritus (s)(noun), zoodetrita (pl)
Particles and fragments produced by the disintegration and the decomposition of animal organisms: During the severe storm, several animals were killed near Tom's house next to the forest and later he collected the remaining bodies of zoodetrita so he could bury them.

Cross references of word families that are related directly, or indirectly, to: "rub, rubbing; wear away; wipe": bruxo, brux-; frica-, frict-; terg-; tribo-; -tripsy.