detriment
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: détriment
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old French detriement, from Latin detrimentum (“loss, damage, literally a rubbing off”), from deterere (“to rub off, wear”), from de- (“down, away”) + terere (“to rub”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
detriment (plural detriments)
- Harm, hurt, damage.
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1872, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, chapter 7, in The Possessed[1]:
- “But marriage in secret, Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch — a fatal secret. I receive money from you, and I'm suddenly asked the question, 'What's that money for?' My hands are tied; I cannot answer to the detriment of my sister, to the detriment of the family honour.”
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- (Britain, obsolete) A charge made to students and barristers for incidental repairs of the rooms they occupy.
Usage notes[edit]
- Often used in the form "to someone's detriment".
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
harm, hurt, damage
Further reading[edit]
- detriment in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- detriment in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
