Offsetting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of counteracting the effects of one element by introducing another that compensates for it
2. A method of balancing out an effect by applying an opposing force or action
3. The act of neutralizing an influence by introducing something that reverses or diminishes it

Etymology: "Offsetting" is the present participle of "offset," so its history is essentially that of the verb itself. Built from "off" and "set," the verb originally meant to set something off against something else, or to set out on a journey, and the sense of balancing one thing against another grew naturally from that idea of setting one quantity opposite another. The "-ing" ending is the ordinary English suffix that turns a verb into a continuous or participial form, so nothing special happens to the meaning when it is added. Because "off" and "set" are both ancient, native English words, the compound is transparent in a way many borrowed terms are not. A reader can see the picture in the parts: one thing is set opposite another, and the effect of one is pushed off or cancelled by the other. That plain physical image of placing things against each other is what the accounting and engineering uses of the word still rely on today.

Synonyms: compensating, counterbalancing, neutralizing, counteracting, balancing