debitage

[ deb-i-tij ]

noun

, Archaeology.

1. lithic debris and discards found at the sites where stone tools and weapons were made.

Word History and Origins

Origin of debitage¹

< French débitage, equivalent to débit ( er ) to cut up, saw up (< dé- de- + -biter, verbal derivative of bitte bitt) + -age -age

Example Sentences

In another survey in 2014 Dr. MacDonald and his team found millions of artifacts on the cliff, including arrow and spear points, along with billions of pieces of debitage, the stone flakes that remain after crafting points.

From New York Times

Near the planned eastern portal of the tunnel, the archeologists discovered large amounts of debitage – waste material from the manufacture of flint tools – and ditches that may date to the iron age and could be associated with Vespasian’s Camp, a hillfort to the south.

From The Guardian

They’d also found six chunks of fossilized hyena dung, as well as “débitage,” distinctive shards of flint left over when Neanderthals shattered larger pieces to make axes.

From New York Times