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detract

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Detract is defined as to take away from or reduce.

(verb)

An example of detract is to remove Christmas decorations before a Christmas party, thereby taking away from the setting.

See detract in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

to take or draw away
Now Rare to belittle; disparage

Origin: ME detracten < L detractare, to decline, depreciate < detractus, pp. of detrahere, to draw away < de-, from + trahere, to draw

intransitive verb

to take something desirable away (from): frowning detracts from her beauty

Related Forms:

detractor noun

See detract in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb de·tract·ed, de·tract·ing, de·tracts

verb, transitive

To draw or take away; divert: They could detract little from so solid an argument.
Archaic To speak ill of; belittle.

verb, intransitive

To reduce the value, importance, or quality of something. Often used with from: testimony that only detracts from the strength of the plaintiff's case.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English detracten

Origin: , from Latin dētrahere, dētract-, to remove

Origin: : dē-, de-

Origin: + trahere, to pull

Origin: . Sense 2, from Latin dētractāre

Origin: , frequentative of dētrahere, to take away

Related Forms:

de·tracˈtor noun

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