Word
offset
Phoneticsoff·set
US/ˈɔfˌsɛt/
UK/ˈɒfsɛt/
Definitions
01to balance or compensate
v. to balance the effect of something else so that the situation remains fair or neutral.
v. to counteract or compensate for a specific effect by applying an equal and opposite force or value.
“The company planted thousands of trees to offset the pollution from its factories.”
“The gains made in the technology sector were largely offset by significant losses in energy stocks, leaving the index virtually unchanged at the close of trading.”
Academic
Usage
Often used in the context of carbon emissions, finances, or physical forces.
Synonyms
02a counterbalancing thing
n. something that acts as a balance to something else.
n. a consideration or amount that diminishes or balances the effect of a contrary one.
“The high cost of the house was a fair offset to its perfect location.”
“The tax credits provided a necessary offset to the increased operational costs incurred during the first phase of the expansion.”
Formal
Synonyms
03printing process
n. a common way of printing where ink is moved from a plate to a rubber surface before touching the paper.
n. a widely used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface.
“The magazine is produced using offset printing to keep the colours sharp.”
“The publisher opted for offset lithography to ensure high-quality image reproduction across the entire print run of the art book.”
Technical
Synonyms
04distance or displacement
n. the distance between one thing and another, or how far something is out of line.
n. the amount or distance by which something is out of alignment or displaced from a base point.
“The programmer had to calculate the offset to find the correct data in the memory.”
“A slight offset in the structural beams required the engineers to recalibrate the entire support system before proceeding with the roof installation.”
Technical
Usage
Common in programming to describe the distance from a starting memory address.
Synonyms
05botany/plants
n. a small new plant that grows off the side of a main plant.
n. a lateral shoot or bulb that develops from the main stem of a plant and can be used for propagation.
“You can grow a new plant by carefully removing an offset from the mother cactus.”
“The gardener propagated the rare succulent by separating the offsets that had formed around the base of the primary rosette.”
Technical
Real-World Examples
“The number of dead ends and looping identical corridors can be infuriating, especially since dying means starting over from the beginning, but this is offset by the briskness of the missions.” “Some of the cooling influence of a weaker AMOC could be offset by the wider rise in global temperatures.” Etymology
From off- + set, used to construct the noun form of the verb to set off. Compare Middle English ofsetten (“to encumber, harass, beset, besiege”), from Old English ofsettan (“to press, oppress, overwhelm, crush”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
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Scan code
englishreference.com/q/offset