dē-tĕro, trīvi, trītum, 3
* V. a., to rub away, to wear away, to wear out (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; not in Cic. or Caes.).
* Prop.: strataque jam volgi pedibus detrita viarum saxea,Lucr. 1, 315: a catena collum detritum cani,Phaedr. 3, 7, 16; so, vestem usu,Plin. 8, 48, 73, § 191; cf.: detrita tegmina,Tac. A. 1, 18: aurum usu,Plin. 33, 3, 19: pedes (viă longă),Tib. 1, 9, 16: frumenta,to thresh out,Col. 1, 6, 23; cf. milium,id. 6, 12, 4: scillam,id. 6, 27, 10: telephion,Plin. 27, 13, 110, § 137: calces deteris,you tread on my heels,Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 111.
* Trop., to diminish in force, to lessen, weaken, impair: laudes Caesaris culpă ingeni,Hor. Od. 1, 6, 12: aliquid velut usu ipso,Quint. 2, 4, 7: fulgorem,id. 10, 5, 16: si quid ardoris ac ferociae miles habuit, deteritur, etc.,Tac. H. 2, 76 fin.: ab alio genere vitae detriti jam,Gell. 15, 30, 1: quantum detritum est famae,Sil. 7, 247: detrita bellis Suessa,id. 8, 399: detereret sibi multa Lucilius,would polish his verses,Hor. S. 1, 10, 69 (cf. just before, v. 65, limatior).—Absol.: nimia cura deterit magis quam emendat,Plin. Ep. 9, 35 fin.— Hence, * dētrītus, a, um, P. a., worn out, trite, hackneyed (for which in Cic. contritus): illa in agendis causis jam detrita,Quint. 8, 6, 51.

s. TLL