[de.tract] vb [ME, fr. L detractus, pp. of detrahere to pull down, disparage, fr. de- + trahere to draw] vt (15c) 1 archaic: to speak ill of
2. archaic: to take away
3: divert "~ attention" ~ vi: to diminish the importance, value, or effectiveness of something--often used with from -- de.trac.tor n