setoff

[set-awf, -of]

noun

something that counterbalances or makes up for something else, as compensation for a loss.
Accounting. a counterbalancing debt or claim, especially one that cancels an amount a debtor owes.
Also called offset. Architecture.
1. a reduction in the thickness of a wall.
2. a flat or sloping projection on a wall, buttress, or the like, below a thinner part.

something used to enhance the effect of another thing by contrasting it, as an ornament.
Printing. offset(def 7).

Origin of setoff

First recorded in 1615–25; noun use of verb phrase set off