Destriment

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Harm, loss or damage that is caused to a person, thing or situation by an action or circumstance
2. A disadvantage or injury that leaves someone or something worse off than before
3. Something that inflicts damage or impairs the condition, value or welfare of a thing

Etymology: "Destriment" is a rare English word meaning a warhorse, the war-horse a knight rode into battle. It comes from Old French "destrier," which in turn derives from medieval Latin "dextrarius," meaning a horse led at the right hand. The reason is practical: a knight rode a lighter mount for travel and kept a heavy warhorse led alongside him, held in the right hand, so that he could mount it fresh when the fighting began. The Latin root "dexter" meant "right" or "on the right side," the same root that gives English "dexterous," in the sense of skilful with the right hand. The word entered English in the Middle Ages, borrowed through the French "destrier," and it was used in English romances and chronicles to describe the great horses of chivalric combat. English later adopted the Latin-based form "destriment" to name the same animal, though this variant is far less common than "destrier" itself.

Synonyms: detriment, harm, damage

Antonyms: benefit, advantage