Detriment
/ˈdɛtrɪmənt/noun
Harm, damage, or loss.
Did you know?Detriment comes from Latin detrimentum, originally the result of a wearing down or loss through use, from detere(re) meaning “to rub away,” not from anything mystical at all.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tere-
“to rub, wear, or grind”
Latin
Latin
terere
“to rub, wear away, grind”
Latin
Latin
deterere
“to rub away, impair by rubbing”
Latin
Latin
detrimentum
“a wearing away, loss, damage”
14th Century
Anglo-French / Middle English
detriment
“harm, injury, damage”
Modern English
English
detriment
“harm or damage”