detriment

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Harm or damage to something.

   Working such long hours can be a detriment to your health.

2. 2
   noun

   A loss or disadvantage suffered.

   She quit her job to the detriment of her career.

3. 3
   verb

   To harm or damage something.

   Cutting the budget could detriment the whole project.

From Old French detriement, from Latin detrimentum (“loss, damage, literally a rubbing off”), from dēterere (“to rub off, wear”), from dē- (“down, away”) + terere (“to rub”). Detriment is related to the word detritus, and built on similar foundations to the word impediment.

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